


24 Hours to Find a Soul

by redheadturkey



Category: 24 (TV), Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-04
Updated: 2014-11-04
Packaged: 2018-02-24 02:43:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 39,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2565374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redheadturkey/pseuds/redheadturkey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><br/>Summary:</p>
<p>Reno finds himself in a strange new world,arriving there by somewhat violent means. His bad luck turns worse when he meets Jack Bauer, who brings him in for questioning. The two strike up a partnership -and more, as they work together to solve the case.   [This is an RP between MakoHeadrush and redheadturkey that has now turned into a fan fic.]  Warnings for slash, herm MPREG, rape/non-con and violence.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	24 Hours to Find a Soul

  
Chapter 1  


Bright lights and sound, heat, and the searing pain of the flames. The slender body was flung backward, hitting a wall hard, the cracking sound of several ribs breaking buried under the other sounds associated with the explosion. Reno was not even sure how he had ended up in this Hell, last he remembered he'd been clearing out some equipment in Hojo's old lab in the ruins of the old ShinRa building, next thing he knew he was here, with the fire of an explosion going off around him, hitting a wall hard enough to send a fair amount of searing pain through him.

People were talking around him in a language he didn't understand, he'd come to rest a few feet from Paula, buried under some rubble, the only beacon of his presence being the brilliant red hair that even coated in dirt spoke of his being there, basically saying "here I am." to anyone who may find him. He hurt, pain pulsing through his body in time with his heart, which beat at a frantic pace from the adrenaline rushing through him. Reno had had a phobia of enclosed spaces and being pinned since he'd been very young, one he dealt quite well most of the time, but being in the middle of an explosion in a strange place with people he couldn't communicate with had just ramped it up to an insane degree.

The blue green eyes were wide as pie plates and frantic when rescuers located him, his defensive instincts causing him to fight the medics trying to treat him. He had no idea what was coming when Jack finally returned to CTU.

* * *

"Chloe, tell me what's happening," Jack said after he'd entered CTU's command central. "Got word that someone was brought in, possibly connected with that explosion - "

"Yes, Jack," Chloe said abruptly, cutting him off. "He's been fighting with everyone, including the paramedics, ever since he was brought in. Medical just told me he kicked the attending physician in the face - "

"Damn," Jack said, a bit admiringly. He studied the monitor at Chloe's workstation, a closed circuit camera monitoring the as-yet unidentified redhead. "What's his story, any ID on him, anything?"

"Not a thing," Chloe replied, smirking. "Oh, and he doesn't seem to understand English. Or, any other language we've tried. Either he doesn't understand what we're saying, or - he's just a dumbass." She handed Jack a dossier, and he nodded, thumbing through it briefly.

Jack smirked, and tucked the dossier under his arm as he headed toward the interrogation room. "Well, I speak a few languages myself. Don't worry, Chloe, I'll get him to talk."

* * *

Reno just stared at the man who came into the room, his face a mix of a sneer and other unreadable emotions. Inwardly he was thoroughly terrified but he wasn't about to show that. When Jack started talking, he just stared at him blankly, not understanding him at all. "Look, get the fucking point, I do not understand you! Asking me a shit ton of questions in a language I don't understand is not helping you or me! So either get someone in here who speaks Midgar Common, or shut the fuck up." He snarled, though the way he was breathing would tell Jack that there had been some internal injury when he'd hit the wall. He tossed his ShinRa ID at Jack, nothing was readable on it.

"I figure you're lookin' for ID first off, in your position it's what I'd be lookin' for, so there you are. I have no idea what the fuck happened, I just know I hurt, and your fucking medical personnel are dumbasses." the sound of his breath was wet, laboring, but the determination that was in those eyes spoke volumes. The language itself sounded much like Old Norse, which one of the other agents would notice when they had a chance. The guy was a linguist that specialized in old languages, but how much damage Jack would do between now and when it was realized that he could not understand them was anyone's guess.

He stared Jack down, though, courage and determination written across the fair skinned face, even through the sweat sheen that coated it.

Jack caught the laminated keycard flying through the air, and glanced at the indecipherable text. "Is this some kind of joke?" he snarled. Jack placed a foot on the seat of the chair, in between Reno's legs, the shoe pressing down upon the redhead's crotch.

"Talk," Jack ordered simply. "I don't think you need to know English to know what will happen here if you don't," Jack said, staring down at his foot, then staring up coldly at the defiant redhead. "I know five languages, so try me. Do you speak English?" _Silence_.

"¿Hablas español?" _No answer. Try another one._ "Ty govoriš' po-russki? Da li govoriš srpski? Sprechen Sie Deutsch?"

"What the fuck," Jack muttered under his breath, frustrated. He saw the redhead grin at that, and rolled his eyes. "Well, you know that word, all right."

"Now look," Jack murmured, his patience starting to wear thing. "We can be here all damned day, I know quite a few languages, but I'm really not in the mood." He leaned down and grabbed Reno by the lapels, getting right in his face. "You had better," he hissed, "not be fucking with me."

Releasing Reno, Jack paced. "This is a waste of time," he muttered to himself, but decided to keep plugging. _What next? Mandarin? Russian? He doesn't look like either nationality. Actually, he doesn't look like any particular nationality at all..._

"Hal tatakallam al-lughah al-'arabīyah? Nǐ huìbúhuì jiǎng guóyŭ?" Still nothing.

"Nihongo o hanashimasu ka?" The last one, that got a reaction, as the redhead nodded at Jack. The agent pulled out his cell phone and dialed. "Chloe," he barked. "I need our best linguist up here, now."

"If you are fucking me over," Jack told Reno, "I'll find out soon enough."

It sounded a bit like Japanese to Jack, but the accent was stilted, strange. Still, Jack was shocked to hell when the redhead started speaking the strange dialect, and he was able to decipher some of the words. He stepped back, removing his foot from the redhead's crotch, and apologized. _Funny...he looked like he was enjoying that..._  
  
As Reno spoke, Jack felt the words were coming too quickly, he couldn't understand what Reno was saying with how fast he was speaking. "Slow down a minute," Jack addressed him in Japanese. "Please, just speak a bit slower - I think I can understand some of what you just said. One of our language experts is coming up here shortly to see how I can communicate better with you."

Jack paced as he waited for the linguist to arrive, and turned back again to regard Reno. He had a familiar look to him, a hardened look of a man who had seen battle. Jack got an odd inkling that the man could be an agent like himself, or some type of law enforcement.

_But probably not law enforcement with that hair_ , Jack thought, amused _. Unless...he's undercover.._

As Jack pulled his foot away, he'd notice Reno's hard-on, the man had a masochistic streak a mile wide, always had. He couldn't help the heavy- lidded look that he gave the man as the interpreter got up there. He finally began speaking again, looking at the man to translate, because he wanted to be clear in what he was saying, it was too much of a risk otherwise, and he had no intention of getting himself killed. His entire body ached, and Reno very much suspected he was going to pass out at some point, but he was determined not to do it yet, he was determined to stay awake and aware for the time being, to not let this man take advantage of him.

"Look, I don't know what's goin' on. I hurt, I'm havin' trouble breathin', and I don't know why the shit exploded. All I know is that if you stop tryin' to beat my ass I might could help. I've been doin' the same kind of shit you've been tryin' to with me since I was fifteen years old, that's eight years, I think I have enough experience to fucking help you out if you'll actually let me. Intel gathering, guns, explosives, hand to hand, you name it, I've been trained in it." his head lolls forward a moment, and he switches from Wutain to Midgar Common just because he's on the verge of passing out and trying to gather the words to say in a language that he isn't native to is becoming too difficult.

"Just. . .let me help." is all he said, as his eyes began to flutter closed, but he fought it. He was not letting himself lose consciousness until he was utterly certain hewas safe, that was all there was to it.

Jack wasn't fluent in Japanese the way he was with German and other languages, but he knew enough to speak passably, and was surprised to hear the detainee reveal that he was basically special ops, much like Jack himself. It intrigued him, to hear this foreign speak of things that were second nature to Jack.

Suddenly, the language changed, and the subject began speaking in a language that Jack thought sounded Scandinavian in nature. He shook his head and turned to the linguist, a questioning expression on his face.

"I can make out some of what he's saying here, yes," the linguist told Jack, as he replied to Reno. "It sounds like Old Norse...and what he just said, he's offering to help."

"Help us?" Jack repeated, a bit amazed. They'd beaten the hell out of this man - which was standard protocol for CTU, when taking in a hostile subject, and Reno had most definitely been hostile when he'd first been seized by CTU agents.

"I appreciate the offer," Jack said, speaking again in Japanese. "Thing is, I still don't know who you are, or where you're from...and I need to figure that out, before allowing you to assist CTU in any fashion. I hope you understand my position, here."

"Let's start over, then," Jack continued, pulling up a chair and sitting opposite the man. "What's your name?"

"Reno." the name came out easily enough. "No last name, we drop 'em when we get hired." He gave Jack the look that said he wanted to trust him, the one that said he wanted to but was not sure he could. He was beginning to lose consciousness, as much as he hated it, soon enough he would not be able to even help himself. Though once he had had enough healing to stay conscious he would do quite well, Jack would be able to tell how rugged the man was, even if he was slim and wiry in build. He was strong and enduring by his very nature, of course the single mako injection he'd had when he'd first been recruited helped immensely with that. He didn't realize he had a slow internal bleed, though, one that was slowly beginning to pull him into the darkness.

"Only reason I was so damn violent is I was kinda scared." he shrugged at that. He normally wouldn't admit to it so easily, but on the verge of losing consciousness as he was his guards were down somewhat. "As for where I'm from. .. place called Midgar, somehow I don't think you would have heard of it." It would of course strike a chord with someone who liked video games, as would the appearance of the one in question once he was cleaned up somewhat and not coated in blood and dirt. The hair would be a gleaming red once he was clean.

"Midgar...sounds familiar, but I can't remember where I've heard it before," Jack murmured in reply. When Reno told him he had no last name, it made Jack take pause for a moment; either this guy was a damned liar, and didn't want to reveal his real name, or he really was something along the lines of a special agent or Black Ops...in Midgar, wherever that was.

Jack sized up Reno, and could tell by just a cursory glance that the man was a scrapper, despite his slim build. He suspected the man had some sort of martial arts training, some sort of instinctual hunch told Jack that.

Despite this, Jack could tell that something was starting to go seriously wrong; Reno's face grew pale and sweaty, his breathing erratic. "Hey, hey," Jack called, as Reno's head lolled to the side. "Reno, you don't look good." Jack grabbed Reno's wrist and felt for a pulse; it was wild and erratic, something was definitely wrong. He quickly dialed Chloe again on his cell phone.

"Chloe," he said hoarsely into the phone. "Get a medic in here now, something's wrong with our guest."

As the medics came in, the first true sign of what had happened would become clear, a small trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. The shattered ribs had punctured a lung, which had begun slowly filling with blood, thus the erratic and rough breathing. He coughed, the injured lung trying to clear itself, more blood coming up when he did. His head rocked all the forward, though he gamely clung to awareness with all of his might. "I dun feel so good either." were his final words before he couldn't speak. There would be more questions later, and as the rest of the plot fell into place and it became apparent just how bad things were, he'd end up being taken along for the ride, one of them or not he'd have to help just to survive.

The thing that had allowed him to stay conscious so long is that he'd been sitting up, keeping the lung from socking in as quickly as it would have if he'd been on his back. He'd recover fine now that it had been discovered, he was as tough as the one who'd found him, but if it hadn't been caught things could have been much more complicated. He gave Jack a death's head grin as the darkness rose up around his mind and swallowed him whole.

Jack looked at the unconscious body with some concern, as medical rushed into the interrogation room, and wheeled Reno away. He was their only witness to the explosion, so Jack knew the importance of keeping this man alive, until he could speak with him again.

There was something else to it, however; Jack felt some admiration for the man of course. He'd taken down five CTU agents single-handed, before his injuries from the explosion had gotten the best of him, and he'd collapsed. Jack was starting to believe that Reno was who he said he was, despite his initial doubts.

Turning his attention back toward CTU's linguist, Jack pulled up a chair, facing the man. "So tell me...where is this guy from?" Jack began. "Because that language he was speaking - I presume it's his native language - I've never heard anything like it, not in any country I've ever been to."

"He may be telling the truth, as odd as that might sound." The linguist shook his head, his expression confused. "I mean, what he was speaking sounded a lot like Old Norse, but it the grammar and accent were very unusual. I could understand him, but I had to mentally fix the word placement to do it." he gave Jack one of those serious looks. "He may have seen something that could help us solve this, even though I somehow think he didn't personally have anything to do with this." He was also thinking to himself that the name Midgar sounded very familiar, but he wasn't sure why, not yet. "We should probably go and wait until he's out of surgery, once he's conscious he'll be the only one who might have the information we need."

The drive to the hospital was quiet, really, as the man thought to himself, trying to figure out where he'd heard it. When he figured it out he'd be kicking himself, and he knew it, and Chloe would likely laugh at him. She had always had a strange ability to find data on the most obscure things, and those obscure things often helped solve cases. Even if you'd never think that they would. As they got out, and walked into the hospital, he couldn't help but think about the way he'd seen Jack look at the redhead. It was an expression he hadn't seen on his face since Teri, and he wanted to call him on it, but he was smart enough to leave it alone.

As Jack drove along, driving himself and the linguist to the hospital - hoping to try and talk to Reno once he was out of surgery, he decided to contact Chloe again to have her do some research on this Midgar place... He shook his head, just wondering where in the hell he'd heard the name before. He punched the familiar number and extension into his cell phone and waited for her to answer.

"Chloe," he said shortly. "We're on our way to the hospital, hoping to talk to this guy once he's out of surgery." Jack felt his stomach do a flip; what if Reno didn't make it out of surgery? They'd be screwed, he realized; for one thing, he was their only viable witness to everything. Adding to that, Jack felt oddly concerned about the man. He supposed he felt badly for him, after determining the man wasn't a threat. Of course, that hadn't been until after several CTU agents had beaten the hell out of him.

"I need you to research a place called Midgar," Jack told Chloe on the phone. "I've never heard of it, though the name does sound oddly familiar...I just can't place it."

Chapter 2  
Summary:

Jack learns who Reno is, and attempts to communicate with the marooned Turk.

Chloe laughed as she heard him, shaking her head. "Midgar, it's from the game Final Fantasy VII, Jack. It was also the name the Normans gave the Earth realm as well, but that's a different thing. I knew that guy looked familiar, but I thought I was going crazy." She sighed. "I'm not sure how it happened, I've seen cosplayers before, to be sure, but never ones that good. I think, honestly, he might be the real thing. As to what he was doing in CTU when it blew up. . .no idea." She listened for Jack's reaction to that, she had known him long enough that she could almost predict it by now. "And before you tell me I'm crazy, that was the only two references I could find, and the one, as much as I'd like it to, makes no sense. The realm covers the whole world, he said it was a city."

The dead silence over the phone spoke volumes, and Chloe almost laughed, but she knew how crazy it sounded, and she wasn't going to laugh at him for stunned silence when she'd said something so crazy, coming to the conclusion because it was the only one aside from the guy being crazy himself that made any sense, and he was far too well trained not to legitimately be what he said he was. "I'd say he was nuts, but Jack, he's too good not to be what he says he is, and no police force around here would train and hire someone who was certifiable. It wouldn't happen."

They got into the building, one the desk nurses recognizing Jack right away, she led them back to the waiting room on the trauma floor. "As soon as he's out of surgery, I'll send a nurse to come get you and take you back to see him."

* * *

"Chloe...you can't actually be serious?" Jack said disbelievingly into the phone. Chloe could be a smartass, for sure, but she wasn't really much of a prankster, so Jack was inclined to believe this was for real, as crazy as it sounded. "A video game character?" He chuckled softly.

"No, I'm not laughing at you, Chloe," he said, wanting to make sure she didn't think such a thing. "I'm just laughing because it sounds so...crazy. What the hell would cause something like this to happen?"

Upon arriving at the hospital, Jack and Jurgen, the linguist who'd driven in with him, were ushered into a waiting room. Jack turned to Jurgen, unsure of how to tell him Chloe's findings.

"Okay, Chloe's gotten some background on Reno," Jack told him, smirking. "Good thing you're already sitting down..."

Jurgen just quirked a brow at Jack. He was half expecting something crazy anyway, because Jack had the damnedest luck for it, but what he would hear would be enough to make him wonder if the man was utterly out of his mind. But for the moment he supposed it didn't much matter; They needed the information in order to figure out who had had it in for them like that, though they had to wait for the man to wake up for that. "Lay it on me. It isn't as if I haven't heard stranger things before this." He just gave Jack one of those looks that said he could take it.

Of course he had no idea what Jack was going to propose, or that his reaction would be choking on the bottle of water he'd bought to drink during the long wait for the kid to come out of surgery when he heard. He tended to believe most anything Jack said, anyway, the man had never lied to him yet, and he doubted Jack intended to start now. It was just that what he was about to hear would be something he'd have a hard time swallowing.

"If this was coming from anyone other than Chloe, I wouldn't have believed it myself," Jack told Jurgen. "But Chloe's never bullshitted me, or anyone else for that matter. She told me...that Midgar's a place from a video game - Final Fantasy VII - and Reno is from that world." He studied Jurgen for a reaction, but the linguist simply stared at him, the trace of a smirk playing on his lips.

Jack frowned. "Seriously, Jurgen. You know that I don't bullshit anyone either. I believe what Chloe told me, I just...don't know what to do with that, where to start." He stood up and began pacing, scratching his head. "I mean...how did he get here? How's he going to get back?" Thinking about that made Jack pause a moment, and feel some empathy toward the mysterious redhead; surely he had family, friends, a career back in his world...would he ever see them again?

"Wonder when he'll be out of surgery," Jack murmured as he took his seat again.

That question was soon answered by a gurney being wheeled by, the figure on it wrapped in bandages around his ribs with a tube sticking out from under it. The chest tube was to drain the air from the chest cavity to allow the lung to re-inflate, a painful necessity. He was settled into his room, into the bed, and it wasn't all that long before jewel-toned eyes began to flutter open, a soft moan slipping free of him as consciousness began to return. The first thing to come to his mind was that he hurt. The second was that he was nude, and thus rather cold. The third was that he wasn't alone in the room, the man who had damn near beaten his ass senseless and the linguist that had helped him made himself understood were there with him.

"Man, remind me not to get myself blown up again, ne?" Speech was difficult, but Reno was Reno and had to push even if he shouldn't. "Ow. . .fucking ow." He used Wutaian because he knew Jack would understand him, even though he had very little presence of mind right for that moment. "I have no idea what language you're speakin', but I have gotta learn it." Reno was also worried about how he was going to get home but he needed to survive long enough to figure that out first. And that meant not getting himself into situations where he would be hurt again.

Jorgen snorted. He liked this guy already, even though he barely knew him. "He sounds like you, Jack, I swear." He was waiting for Jack to swat him for it, but it was true.

Jack gave Jurgen a look and rolled his eyes. "Shut it, Jurgen," he muttered, smirking. Jack and Jurgen followed alongside the gurney as the orderly pushed Reno down to the recovery room; having no next of kin, the two CTU agents were allowed to accompany the mysterious redhead.

"So," Jack said, settling into the chair closest to Reno. "We figured out where you're from. And I do believe this is the first time I've ever told anyone this." He called up several websites on his PDA that Chloe had sent to him, gamer websites and Wiki pages that detailed the game.

"You...are apparently a fictional character in a video game," Jack said, showing Reno the info on his smartphone. "Here, take a look. I know...it sounds insane, and it sounds like some bullshit story...I'm having trouble believing it myself."

"So I guess the question is...if you're not real...how in the hell are you here? You look pretty damned real to me," Jack said plainly, his eye wandering up and down the slim frame. He inadvertently licked his lips as he did so, something that did not go unnoticed by Reno.

"Well, it's pretty damn obvious I'm real." Reno rolled his eyes as he shifted to try to get comfortable, gasping a bit at the pain the movement caused. "As to how I got here, well. . that would be the fault of one Professor Hojo. He thinks playing with everything from animals to the space time continuum is a fun hobby." He snorted at that, and then shook his head. "As to why I'd be in a video game well. . ." and he leaned all the way back, hands folding behind his head. "I'm just that good, zo to." He hadn't been able to resist the quip, at all. He heard Jorgen make a noise deep in his throat as the redhead made grabby hands at the phone, wanting to see it for himself.

"Well, fuck me. . .talk about breaking the fourth fucking wall, yo. This begs the question, how did this Sakaguchi guy know about us? Some of this shit's not accurate, but a good deal of it is, and I wanna know how the Hell he knows this shit, because that he does is just fucking with my head, seriously." Reno had never imagined someone on another world knowing they even existed, much less knowing enough to make a story out of their lives. "He doesn't know my partner is from Costa del Sol, and he has an annoying little brother named Eric that has hit on every single fucking chick he's ever brought home. He also doesn't know I grew up in the slums of Sector Seven, but still. . .this blows me away, dude."

And a soft noise, and his eyes soften a bit. "Also doesn't know I was sleepin' with Tseng an' the boss man. . .that alla us were friends, Hell, they're the closest to family I got left."

Something about what Reno had said sounded strange though. "Hojo?" Jack repeated. "What does Howard Johnson's have to do with this?" he asked, as Jurgen snickered. "Shut up, Jurgen. Be professional, for chrissakes."

Jack coughed uncomfortably at the last bit of information. _Slept with his boss?_ Jack wondered _. I probably don't want to know the details..._ And he wasn't about to ask, either, it really wasn't relevant.

"Look," Jack said, pulling his chair up closer. "I don't know how it happened, and you're obviously feeling...a bit out of place here, so far from home. And I'm sure you miss your familiy and friends, too."

"Thing is," Jack continued. "I need your help. You're my only witness to the explosion...and I need to find out who's behind the attack. If you help me, I'll do everything in my power to get you back home...if such a thing is even possible. But if it is, you have my word, I will help you get back there."

He nodded. "On one condition, yo. You help me learn your language, because if I'm gonna be here for any length of time at all, I need to know how to speak the language, I need to know how to blend in, and it ain't gonna happen unless I do." Reno sighed, his head craning down. Jack had been wise enough not to ask about his coworkers, which he was glad of. Talking about home when he wasn't sure, even with Jack's reassurance, that he ever could get back, was painful, and the last thing he wanted to do was even start to tear up in front of these men he barely knew. "I'll tell you what I remember. . .I'll even. . help you find 'em, once I'm strong enough. I need a place to stay, if you can."

Jurgen exchanged a look with Jack, and quietly said "Could bring him the laptop I use for work that has the Rosetta Stone software on it. It won't be perfect, but it'd at least help him learn enough English to speak it passably. The accent would be a bit odd, but I figure as long as he's understandable, it'll be fine." The linguist shrugged, not wanting to say too much, and not wanting to call attention to the fact that Reno looked very upset and seemed the type of guy who wouldn't deal with being coddled well, even if he was injured and it was making keeping his emotions in check harder.

Reno had turned his face toward the wall, his eyes were starting to mist up and he didn't want to show it. He missed Tseng and Rufus terribly, it wasn't anywhere near an exclusive thing, it was something where they all just needed to fuck ever once in a while and indulged each other, but still, they were family, and to be away from them with no way to know if he could ever go home again hurt more than he knew how to say.

Jack sighed quietly and leaned back in his seat, exchanging a glance with Jurgen. He nodded at the suggestion of that laptop, it was a good idea to get Reno started, he figured.

"Jurgen's idea is a good one," Jack said, addressing Reno again in Japanese. "We'll let you use the laptop, it's got a software program on it to help you learn English. I can help you too...I'm fluent in quite a few languages myself."

"As for a place to stay..." Jack began, then hesitated. It wasn't often he invited someone into his home other than Kim - not since Teri died, let alone a complete stranger. Yet here Jack was, about to offer lodging to this intriguing redhead with the strange accent, strange background, and even stranger hair.

_Yeah, your accent isn't going to be the only thing preventing you from blending in_ , Jack thought with an amused grin. Aloud, he said to Reno, "I live alone. You can stay with me while you learn English...and I'll try to help you assimilate. Sound good?"

"Thank you." the words were heartfelt, a smile crossing his face though he looked very wan. "Could you bring the computer in now? I wanna learn as fast as I can. I hate being helpless, being unable to communicate drives me up a frickin' wall. Always has." He shook his head at that, hoping to be out of here soon. Reno had always hated hospitals, convalescence drove him batty due to the fact that it involved him having to stay still, which drove him almost as nuts as not being able to communicate. He had a great amount of energy normally, and despised having to lay down and being stuck that way. He wanted to get started on something useful for learning how to get by here.

"I'll bring it up when I head back for dinner, which should actually be pretty soon." Jurgen nodded a confirmation of that. He felt sorry for the guy, really. He knew how he felt, when he'd left Norway he'd felt just as lost as confused. He hadn't known a lick of English, having been raised around Norwegian his whole life, he'd not known the culture, he'd come here for a better job, and to make a home for himself, maybe have some to send back to his family. It hadn't been an easy adjustment at all, but he'd made it, even as difficult as it had been. He wanted to help this guy make it too.

The fact that Jack was already beginning to take a shine to the kid, his eyes lighting up in a way he hadn't seen since Teri had died and he and Kim had stopped talking? Even more reason to help.

"That'll help a lot, the sooner you start, the better," Jack said, nodding. "Plus like I said, I can help you too. Don't push yourself too hard, though...you've been through a lot, punctured lung and everything."

"Sounds like you'll be here a few days at least, but you might get released sooner if you heal well enough, Jack informed Reno. "I live in the hills, it's a short drive, so I'll come and get you when you're ready to be released."

Jack paused for a moment, then continued. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?" he asked him. "Anything...out of the ordinary you've noticed, since you found yourself here?" He groaned inwardly, realizing the absurdity of his question; the entire situation itself, was out of the ordinary.

"I saw a man, dark tan skin, dark eyes. . about your height with broad shoulders. If I had a pen an' a pad, I could probably sketch him, I'm pretty good at it." To be honest Reno was a pretty good sketch artist, and it didn't take him all that long to get it done once Jurgen passed him the small pad he had and his pen. The guy had faintly arabic features, though his nose was crooked as if it had been broken a few times, the detail not one many would have remembered, and Reno had done well to do so. Still, as he finished and set the pad down, he couldn't help but look out the window, a sudden sharp pang of homesickness overwhelming him for a moment. He let out a shuddering breath. He wasn't going to let down his guard enough to cry in front of these people, no matter how badly it hurt right now to have been drug here.

_Damn, that face looks familiar..._ Jack thought, as Reno's hand moved quickly over the paper, sketching out a rough portrait of that man he'd seen. He couldn't place a name to the face, not just yet, but it would come soon, Jack was sure. He would have Chloe scan it and run it through the facial recognition software anyway, and hope for a possible match. It was not much to go on, but it was a start.

"Thank you," Jack said quietly and gratefully to Reno, as he took the completed sketch from him. "This is really good...you obviously have a good eye and memory for detail...I think this will help us a lot."

"Jack. . .? I wanted to say thanks, yo. . .for carin' enough to wanna make sure I had a place and didn't end up on th'streets. It means a lot." The words weren't ones he'd imagined saying in any language, but he had never thought a stranger would give enough of a shit about him to keep him from dying, particularly one that had about kicked his ass when they'd first met. The tendency for people not to give a shit about anyone but themselves and their own had made him pretty jaded, considering he'd spent most of his adolescence on the street, and to be pleasantly surprised that someone had tried had touched him, though he wasn't going to outright admit it.

When Reno thanked Jack for his kindness, the CTU agent suddenly felt self-conscious, and merely shrugged it off. "It's nothing," Jack insisted, though he couldn't deny that he felt some strange pull toward Reno, and he couldn't explain why he felt that way, either.

After Jurgen left for lunch and came back up with the laptop, he dove right into the English lessons, only to have Chloe come back up with Jack a while later to find him with his head laying over the open keyboard and the screen dark, the speakers still sounding out the words in English as his twitching fingers hit the buttons of the trackpad and made the program continue to run. "That should not make me want to pull out my phone and snap a photo as much as it does. That is almost insanely adorable, and a bit sad too. He's putting a lot of work into trying to fit in. And I have an odd feeling, Jack, a lot of it is because he likes you." Jack rolled his eyes at Chloe's ribbing and teasing, but her words made him think for a moment. _No_ , Jack told himself. _Reno's only trying to assimilate...nothing more, nothing less. Gotta admire his dedication, too..._

Chapter 3  
Summary:

Reno continues to recuperate at Jack's house, and the two discover an undeniable attraction to each other. Warnings for this chapter: herm, lemon/slash

Three days passed before Reno was released and allowed to leave the hospital, his first act was to yank the leads from his chest and push himself to his feet. He would walk out under his own power, smart or not, and get out to the car by himself. He had seen the decorations going up during his days in the hospital, though he didn't understand any of it. Jack was going to have fun trying to explain it to Reno, who had never celebrated Christmas, the closest they came on his world was Solstice, and the legends and traditions were much different than they were on Earth for Christmas. He watched the people walking up and down the hallway, the music coming from the speakers drawing a curious expression as well.

When he got into the car, he set his hand on the window and watched the scenery go by. He'd learned enough English over the time he'd been in the hospital, though it was broken and stilted, to say to Jack "I want to leave." and make himself understood. It had frustrated him to no end to not be able to communicate, and he was glad that was no longer true, at the very least. "Gonna make something from home when we get there, if you got the ingredients for it, or anything like." he murmured. "I may not be able to get home, but damned if I am not gonna try to bring a little bit of home here."

He was still a bit nervous, as close as he was beginning to feel to Jack, and he was, he didn't know him well enough to fully trust him quite yet, but it would come. As they got to Jack's place and got out, and inside, the first thing he saw were the photos. .. of him and Teri, and him and Kim. . .and Reno began to feel distinctly like an interloper into the life of a man who belonged very much to someone else.

"It's not much, but it's home," Jack told Reno, almost apologetically, as he ushered Reno into the small, one-bedroom bungalow he'd recently purchased. He'd only moved in two months prior, after Teri died. Jack had sold the home he'd once shared with his wife and daughter, feeling as if he could see her face, or hear her voice, every time he turned a corner. Now, in a smaller home, he was slowly adjusting to his new singlehood. Though Kim would stay overnight at her father's place on rare occasions, it would be odd to have a semi-permanent houseguest once again; Jack had been turning into a bit of a hermit in his new home, and was growing used to his solitude.

Reno seemed to shuffle about a bit nervously as Jack led him to the master bedroom. "You can have my bed, Reno," he told him. "I'll be fine on the couch. There's blankets and things in the closet here," Jack said, indicating the small linen closet outside in the hallway.

"Uh...I'm not much of a chef, but I'll try to scare something up for dinner for us if you're hungry," he said with a small smile at Reno. "My daughter would be horrified at my cooking methods, but I usually can manage to get something fairly edible on the plate," Jack said with a dry chuckle. He put a hand on Reno's shoulder before turning away, and headed toward the kitchen.

That made him feel yet more awkward, but he knew Jack was being polite, and saying no, even if he'd like to, would be impolite. He did trail out to the kitchen behind him though, and told him "I'm a pretty decent cook, if ya don't mind cleaning up the explosion in your kitchen afterward. I'm messy, but Rude, he's my partner, has said it's pretty good, even if it is messy." He smiled, just a little, as he went into the cabinets to get pans out. "Just trust, me, k?" He saw the tree sitting in the living room, and as he began to get ingredients out he asked "I wanted to ask you this when I came in, but I was tryin' to figure all of it out myself. Who's the chick? I mean, I had the blond one pegged for bein' your daughter, but the other one. . " he shook his head, he already felt as if he were intruding, but his curiosity was getting the better of him.

The scents of frying chicken and vegetables and other delectable things floated through the house as he got to work, true to his word it was messy, but it all smelled so fantastic, the mess would to most be forgivable. Reno's movements around the kitchen were sure and quick, very few people knew that he enjoyed cooking, that it was one of the things that relaxed him more than anything else in the world, as the words of a soft Solstice carol came from him in a haunting and sweet tenor that was very rarely heard. He closed his eyes as he pulled the last of the pots off the stove, still singing.

_Shiva, may you scatter your blessings upon us. . .let them fall upon us as the snow falls and coats the fields, while your creatures sleep deep under their blankets of white. . .your breast may be cold, but you remind us of the peace that the winter brings._ The old Cetran carol was one he'd learned from his mother, many years ago, and he'd never forgotten it. Singing it made him think of her, and though it stung a bit, it was a good sting, reminding him that he was indeed still alive, despite everything that life had tried to throw at him.

Jack was surprised but grateful with Reno's offer to cook dinner. "Sure...let me just, ah...show you where everything is." He led Reno into the small galley kitchen, and showed him where the pots and pans and utensils were. "Ah...I haven't been home much lately," Jack explained as he opened the refrigerator. "Still, I don't think anything is spoiled," he muttered as he took a quick inventory of the contents within. "If you can make something out of that mess," he told Reno with a grin, "you have my undying gratitude. And no, I don't mind doing the dishes afterwards...so long as someone else is doing the cooking."

A tired sigh came forth as Reno asked about the female in the framed photos displayed about Jack's home; and it was only natural that someone would ask, Jack figured. The subject of Teri was a painful one, the wound still fresh, as well as the guilt Jack still felt over her death. It hadn't been his fault, not directly, but having slept with the woman who was ultimately responsible for Teri's death...that was something for which Jack would never forgive himself.

"That...was Teri," Jack said quietly, as Reno asked about the photos. "She was my wife. She...died." He stopped there, giving Reno a look that said I don't want to talk about it right now. It would probably be easier explaining Christmas to Reno, Jack reasoned.

"I suppose you're wondering about the tree," Jack said to Reno as he bustled about the kitchen prepping the food. "I saw you staring at it before. It's...kind of ugly, I know," he added with a laugh. The slightly crooked, silver and white artificial tree had been purchased at a fire sale, and Jack had been given a lot of grief by Kim for it. Both Kim and Teri had always insisted on getting a real Christmas tree, and that was the one tradition that Jack couldn't bring himself to continue since the death of Teri, the whole routine of selecting and tagging a tree, then all of them going together to cut it down and dragging it home.

"Not sure if you have anything like Christmas or Yule where you come from," Jack went on, "but the tree is a part of that tradition, I guess." He got that faraway look in his eyes again, and sighed. "Not that tradition means much of anything to me anymore, now that I'm alone."

Reno knew when he was stepping on delicate territory, and when not to press. He thought to himself how he'd feel if Tseng, Rude, or Rufus died, and how he'd felt when he'd thought he'd lost Tseng and Rufus both, and just looked up at Jack with a sympathetic expression. "That sucks, man. . .I'm sorry. But ya know what. Ya ain't alone now. I mean. . .not really. I may not be much more than some rag tag tagalong ya had the misfortune to have ta take in because I had nowhere else to go, but it's somethin', right?" he shook his head, and sat, setting plates in front of them. "Nah, we have what they call Solstice back home, Shiva's Day, but it's different, I think."

He looks up at the ceiling before looking back down, tucking into his food with an almost distracted air. "I'd love to hear about it though. . an' maybe I'll go with you to find a tree, get rid of that thing, because to tell you the truth? That fucker is dog ugly, I wouldn't give it to my worst enemy." He could almost hear the don't bag on my tree before it was even said, but he couldn't help the smile that came to his mouth. It felt good just to spend time with Jack after everything they had been through, to just enjoy each other's company.

"That carol? Momma taught me it. . .a long time ago." he looked down, shaking his head. "I miss her too, like you miss your wife. It sucks losing people you care about, but all you can do? Is get through it, right? Push through it an' get past it, 'cause they wouldn't want you to just give in an' die."

"Thank you," Jack murmured as he poured wine for them both, setting the glasses on the dining room table. "No, I guess I'm not alone right now, you're right about that," he said quietly, sighing as he sipped his wine, and leaned back in his chair. "Kim...that's my daughter...she's been after me to start dating again. Says I'm getting too cranky and set in my ways. I told her...that has nothing to do with being single, it has to do with me growing old." He laughed, despite the truth behind the statement. Reno's mere presence was helping Jack to feel relaxed at ease, something he hadn't felt in quite some time.

"By the way," I happen to like that tree," Jack said, snorting a laugh. "What the hell's wrong with it, really? And so what if it's not green, I like how it looks, like it's covered with snow. And it's leaning funny because I forgot to prop a brick up under the tree stand, the floor is uneven. You're laughing at me...oh, fine."

Jack chuckled, then turned his attention back to the food that Reno had prepared. "You are a damned good cook," Jack told him appreciatively. "You sing very well, too, Reno. So, tell me - is there anything you can't do?" An amused smirk played across Jack's lips as he flirted with the redhead, not even realizing he was doing it.

"I suck at cleaning." he laughed, the answer completely straight forward. And it was the truth, he did suck at cleaning. "I'm also too damn mouthy for my own good sometimes, trust me, it's gotten me in trouble before." He looked Jack in the eye, and then away, he was still a bit shy around him, and he wasn't certain why, except that his body was heavily scarred and he wasn't sure if Jack would accept him with that _. oh, who are you kidding? He probably won't anyway because you're the wrong gender for him. He seems to like chicks, if the fact that he was married to one is any indicator. Why be shy around him when he's not gonna want you more than likely anyway?  
_

He finished his own food, and yawned, suddenly realizing how tired he still was after all of it. Reno really didn't want to try to figure it out, because he wasn't sure whether his crush on the CTU agent was really something he should pursue, or something he just felt because he was grateful the man had saved his life. "Thanks for the compliment, by the way. Learned most of how to cook and make due with whatever you could find from Momma, she was good with that. Where I lived when I was a kid, ya didn't have a whole lot of choice, it was make due or starve." It was the first time he'd said anything that could reveal something about himself that was actually deeply personal, there was a lot more beneath it, but he wouldn't say it. Not yet.

Jack would find out other ways, though, as Reno went to take a nap on the sofa after dinner. The pain meds made him sleepy, always had, and that sleepiness had triggered him to do so. But even in a medicated sleep, unless it was medicated to the point of being nearly comatose, the nightmares came calling around this time of year, and he would discover that when Reno began thrashing.

Jack laughed at Reno's remarks, and nodded. "I get that a lot too...about being mouthy. Mostly from my daughter, and a few of my co-workers. Still, I get my job done, even if some of my techniques are a bit...unconventional." He cleared the dishes from the table, telling Reno to get some rest while he did the dishes, and thanked him for cooking. Jack whistled as he loaded the dishwasher, contemplating on the redhead who was now nodding off to sleep on the sofa. He was attractive - almost exotic looking, there was no doubt about that, Jack thought. It shocked him a bit, to find himself crushing a bit on another man, not that he hadn't had felt such attractions before - it was more that he'd never acted upon them.

A groan from the living room drew Jack's attention, and he went out to the living room to check on his guest, thinking he might need a blanket or something covering him. He looked concerned as he saw Reno thrashing about, looking as if he were trying to fight off imaginary assailants in his sleep. "Shit," Jack muttered. "Nightmare...not sure if I should wake him...he might deck me..." As Reno flailed, one of his arms hit against a floor lamp behind him; Jack moved quickly to prevent the object from crashing to the floor, righting it. Reno's face was a mask of terror, Jack decided he'd better try to wake him, before the nightmare got worse.

"Momma, Momma he's hurting me! Make him stop!" the words came out in a shaking voice as a scream began to build deep in his chest, the sound beginning as a rumble, the sound a warning, as he shot straight upright, his flailing fist catching Jack across the chin before he clutched onto the man like a lifeline, body shaking, the scream ringing out into the room before dying down. He was half-awake at best, and if he was confronted with the nightmare when he woke completely he was likely to deny it. He hated being seen as weak, and tended to bury things and hide from them because to talk to someone about them made him look like he couldn't handle it.

Jack's stomach clenched as he heard Reno shouting out in his sleep; clearly, the man was reliving some horrid episode from his past, in his dream. Even with that knowledge. Jack was much taken by surprise when Reno's fist flew out, clocking him in the chin. "Damn it!" he shouted, gripping Reno by the shoulders as he pulled him off. The anger flared in Jack, but he held back, knowing that the punch was by no means intentional.

"Reno, wake up, damn it - you're dreaming!" Jack snapped, sounding a bit more irritated than he'd intended, though Reno probably hadn't even heard him anyway. As the terrified man clung desperately to Jack, the CTU agent's arms drew Reno in, hugging him - almost automatically. Though Reno would push him away out of embarrassment as soon as he came out of the nightmare, Jack couldn't deny the effect that the mysterious redhead was having on him. His face was flushed, his pulse was racing, and there was no ignoring the bulge he felt growing in his pants.

Aqua eyes were still wide and unseeing, breath coming in shuddery gasps as the dream refused to entirely let loose for several long moments until they finally cleared, and the room began to slowly come into focus around him, and he realized he was clinging to Jack like a vine. He drew back, his face going bright red, then spotted the slowly forming bruise on Jack's chin, and his face went even more red. "Was that me?" he asked, as his fingers very gently measured it, his expression almost guilty as well as embarrassed. "Didn't realize I did that, m'sorry."

Reno felt awful he'd decked Jack, and thoroughly embarrassed that he'd gotten caught having one of his nightmares as well, there were things he'd never talked about with anyone, and his coworkers had been wise enough not to question him even when they did catch him. "I'll try ta be more careful, I really feel bad about it."

Jack let out a small groan as he sat next to Reno on the couch, suddenly feeling very self-conscious due to his unexpected and burgeoning desire for Reno. "You okay?" he asked in a soft murmur. "Bad dream, huh," he commented dumbly. "I...really need to take a cold shower, if you think you'll be okay? Maybe you should have a glass of wine...though maybe that's not such a good idea if you're still taking those painkillers..."

_Jesus, I just said out loud that I need to take a cold shower_ , Jack realized as he headed toward the bathroom, groaning inwardly. Way to be fucking obvious that I'm crushing on the guy. He finally had to admit it, if only to himself; Jack was growing very attracted to Reno, and it had quite taken him by surprise.

"Y-yeah." Reno groaned out loud at the way he'd stuttered, it was massively embarrassing, and he hated it, but for the moment there was little else he could do. He was shaken up, which would not be too much of a surprise considering what he'd experienced in his sleep. "I'll be ok, go ahead and get your shower." he leaned back on the sofa trying to get his head back together, stilling his shaking and closing his eyes. _Dammit, I can't believe I had that nightmare for the first time in a year, and in front of a stranger, no less. . .even if it's a stranger I'd like to. . .oh crap, I can't think like that, gotta stop thinking with my dick._

He was a bit nervous that Jack would start asking questions he wasn't sure how to answer or was even comfortable thinking about the answers to. There were dark corridors his mind didn't like traveling, he hated looking weak, or damaged, and the things those nightmares were about could not help but damage someone. Still, he shut those thoughts away, and started thinking more pleasant ones, like how warm Jack had been how good he had smelled, how strong his arms were, and by the time the sounds of Jack relieving his own tension leaked out into the living room he was more than a little worked up himself.

His hand traveled down into his pants as he began to pleasure himself to the sounds of the man he wanted to have doing the same to himself in the shower, a soft moan slipping free as he imagined Jack's' mouth wrapped around him as his hand was now, his face tinting a bit pink. He didn't even hear when the bathroom door opened again.

Jack finished his shower and cut the water, rubbing his eyes. He couldn't believe he'd gotten that carried away in there, and prayed he hadn't been heard. He had to get it out of his system somehow though, this unexpected, pent-up lust he was feeling toward Reno. And what better way to do that, than to jerk off in the shower, he thought wryly. God, have I no shame? Jack chastised himself.

He emerged from the steam-filled bathroom, intending to head down the small hallway directly to his bedroom, to change into some clean clothing. Instead, he became distracted by a moan heard from the living room. _Shit...hope he's not having another nightmare_ , Jack thought, worried.

Reno, can I get you anything - " Jack began as he stepped out into the living room, clad only in the bath towel that was wrapped loosely around his waist. His voice trailed off as his eyes roamed over Reno lying on the couch, who was moaning softly as his hand roamed about inside his pants.

"Sorry," Jack whispered awkwardly, backing out of the room slowly, hoping to get away unseen. He wasn't angry with Reno, not by any means; hell, hadn't he been doing the same thing himself? He wondered, briefly, if Reno had been entertaining some of the same carnal thoughts he'd been thinking. _Don't be ridiculous_ , Jack told himself scornfully.

Jack didn't even feel the bump in the carpeting as he tried to sneak out of the living room; it didn't cause him to fall, but it threw him slightly off balance. The towel began to slip from his waist, and Jack scrambled to retrieve it. "Shit!" he muttered quietly, as the towel slid down his naked body.

Reno's face went even brighter red, but then he noticed the tent behind the towel that was beginning to fall, and he grinned, snaking out one hand fast to encourage it to fall faster, the soft thud of the towel hitting the floor lost on his ears almost as he pulled Jack close, taking the chance. If he was wrong, he might have to find a new place to live, it was a huge risk, and he knew it, but if he was right. . .the rewards were huge, and in his eyes they were worth the risk. "I want you. . ." he murmured. "And I think you want me to, if what's under that towel is anything at all to go by." The jaw drop didn't bother him, he had a feeling he'd stunned the man, but that raw sexuality was just his way and always had been.

He leaned in and seized Jack's lips with his own, body flush against his, and a soft moan slipped from his lips. The man tasted spectacular, a musky and wild flavor that was exclusively his, and Reno felt like chasing it around with his lips and tongue until he'd figured out completely what it was, because damned if it wasn't something he could hold forever. There were no more words, just bodies lining up in sync and hearts pounding in time and sheer lust in the air. "Try to tell me you don't want me like I want you, I know you'd be fuckin' lyin'. . ." his eyes were hazy with desire when they met Jack's.

"I know better than that." and he crooked a slight grin before diving in for another kiss, hand reaching down to feel what it is he could find.

"Jesus..." Jack murmured breathlessly as the towel fell, exposing his arousal fully; there was no denying it now. "Did you - hear me in there?" he muttered, but the question was never answered, Reno had pulled Jack down, claiming his lips in a hungry kiss. A soft moan slipped out as Jack allowed himself to be pulled down onto the sofa, forgetting momentarily that Reno had been injured just days ago.

"No, I can't deny it," Jack said, as they broke the kiss. "I think I've wanted you ever since you were brought into interrogation. I just...it took me by surprise, I guess," he added, not wanting to share that this was the first time he'd ever acted on such an attraction toward another male. No, right now was not the time for that particular confession, though if things progressed the way they seemed to be, the topic might come up eventually.

He straddled Reno on the couch, moaning into the redhead's open mouth as he felt a hand enclose upon his shaft, stroking it. "Fuck," Jack muttered, his tongue parting Reno's lips as he dove in for another bruising kiss, not giving another thought to his inexperience with other men, he was starting to not care very much about that small point. This felt good, Reno felt good, and it had been too long since Jack had felt the touch of another.

Reno would have no problem showing him, though a sudden wave of shyness nearly overcame him. He was severely scarred from both the explosion as well as multiple other mishaps that were part and parcel of his career. He wasn't sure what Jack would think of it. Though it didn't make him want this any less, not at all. He closed his eyes as he ground down on him, the scent surrounding them musk blended with an almost honey-floral scent. "I know I'm a little overdressed for this, but. . ." he looked down, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip. "I want you to promise me, no matter what, you won't flip out."

He'd gotten hung up in the physical attraction and he totally not given thought to what Jack might think of what he would find when he got underneath the clothing on the slim body. But he wasn't going to let the nervousness of it bother him, not now. This man was one he was attracted to, but more. . .he'd taken him into his home, allowed him to be here, even if he had no real reason to trust him, and that meant something to Reno, on top of the fact that he himself had not had sex in a good while, even now.

Reno slowly began to draw his clothes off, and lead Jack back toward the bedroom, laying back on the bed and letting him see everything, from the slim throat, to the slender and muscular arms, the chest and belly with scar tissue that was more pink, those from where he'd been hit by debris from the explosion, and fish-belly white, older scars from his lifetime as a Turk. . .one in particular across his belly from hip to hip looking like a massive and ugly C-section scar almost, and another, in the shape of a large blade, under his ribs on the left hand side.

There was not much in the world that would shake Jack Bauer up; he'd pretty much seen it all during his military career, and then as a CTU agent. He couldn't help it though; he drew in a small, sharp intake of breath as Reno revealed the mass of scars along his abdomen. Like a bad science experiment, was the first impression to come to Jack's mind. He didn't know it yet, but his first impression would be damned close to the reality of what Reno had actually been through.

"Someone did this to you," Jack breathed, running a finger along the largest of the scars. It was a statement of observation, not an accusation, and Jack felt a further pang of empathy for Reno. Clearly he'd been through some kind of hell in his past, and here he was, light years from the place he called home. If 'home' even existed anywhere in reality, though Jack didn't want to think about that right now, it was too much for either of them to make sense of just yet.

His eye caught something as he positioned himself over Reno, placing his hands on either side of his shoulders as he leaned down, kissing him. Jack pulled back a bit, and did a bit of a double take, gently parting Reno's knees slightly as he stared. That's...no, that can't be possible...is he really...like that? The questions were forming in Jack's mind one after the other, he didn't want to voice them out loud just yet; he didn't want to come across as offensive, but his curiosity - and lust for Reno - was getting the best of him.

There was nothing quite like being direct, though, Jack decided, nervously sliding his hand in between Reno's legs as he whispered softly in his ear. "I...god, it's been a long time for me...and let's just say, this is the first time I've met someone...like you. If you want me to stop," Jack added, his thumb stroking Reno's phallus, as his remaining fingers plunged within, "just say the word."

The gentle exploration, the acceptance, made him smile, just a bit. "You remember I talked about Hojo? Well, some of this is fucking handiwork. . .the scar under my ribs was from a big fucking sword, I pissed someone off I was better off leavin' alone, but at the time I wasn't given a choice." He shuddered through his whole body at the prodding fingers sliding into him, no one had ever touched there before, he'd really tried for the most part to forget it was there, but it sent a blast of sensation up his nerves, making him shudder hard. "Oh. ..oh fuck me, what was that?" He had no idea what Jack had just touched but it had made his whole body light up.

"Ngn!" The monosyllabic utterance was his only response to the second touch that about blew him away, his cheeks flushing brilliant red. "Never had anyone touch that, holy shit. . ." He couldn't believe he'd just told Jack that that place was virgin, but it was a distant disbelief at the moment. "D-don't stop, whatever you do, don't stop." Possible consequences were far from his mind, after all, chances are it wouldn't work the way Hojo had intended anyway, after all, weren't menstrual cycles supposed to be part and parcel of the whole thing? He hadn't bled out of there once since the mad doctor had had his way with him, so he figured he was pretty much safe.

The sensation was strong, and instead of being centered just between his legs it seemed to spread through his whole body and make all of his muscles tense and throb, but it was a good throb. He was trembling, his eyes closing as he clung to Jack. "You're worth a million fuckin' gil, yo. Most people would see this an' freak out, that you didn't means a fuck ton."

It was strange, Jack thought, but the realization that Reno was not one-hundred percent male didn't put him off; in fact, it oddly put him at ease. Initially, he'd been wrapping his mind around the fact that he was jerking off in the shower because of the man taking up temporary residence on his sofa; now, with the revelation that there was more to Reno than met the eye, that knowledge only served to further excite Jack.

"Never been touched there, huh?" Jack murmured as he snaked his fingers in further, crooking his middle finger back up toward the front of Reno's pelvis. Hell, he had no idea if someone equipped the way Reno was even had a G-spot, but he figured there was no harm in trying to find out.

"I never would have predicted any of this happening...several days ago when I met you," Jack whispered, kissing Reno as he worked his fingers further in. The reaction he was getting from Reno was more than favorable, judging from the sounds coming out of him. "And I'm not about to stop, I want you. Tell me...tell me what _you_ want, Reno. Because I ...well, this is kind of a first for me."

Jack frowned for a moment as he suddenly considered something. "I don't mean to kill the mood, but...ah...you...can't get pregnant, can you?"

"I don't think so." His words came out a soft pant. What Jack was doing to him felt incredible, he didn't want it to stop for anything in the world. "Take me." he whispered, and pulled Jack on top of him. His whole body was humming with the sensations, he wanted this, but more. . .he wanted Jack, in his bed, but more. . .and he didn't understand it. so fast. . .so fierce. Where are these emotions coming from? I've never fallen this hard or fast before, it's fucked up, but I wouldn't change it. He gasped out as white lights exploded behind his eye lids, body arching up as he made a keening noise. He could feel himself teetering on the brink.

"Oh. . oh sweet Shiva. . " if Jack didn't fuck him soon he swore he would lose his damn mind, the feelings coursing through him were that intense, he needed to be finished. "I'm pretty sure it's not gonna work the way he intended, this thing has never bled even once, thanks. Now just fuck me already before I lose my fucking mind." He bucked his hips up into Jack, trying to encourage him to go ahead and break that barrier and do him already now. Reno was more than capable of being demanding when he was horny, and Jack had managed to get him just that.

His legs wrapped around the lean waist to encourage a deflowering. "Gods fuck, if I'd known it was gonna feel this good I'd a used those parts a long fucking time ago." Red hair spread out across the back of the sofa as his head tilted back, his face tinged pink with lust.

"Fuck, Reno," Jack blurted in a hoarse cry; the utterance was met with a smart-assed remark from Reno. Jack grinned. "I'm ready if you are," he murmured, suddenly realizing how redundant the remark was - Reno was doing everything short of flipping Jack on his back and riding him, so worked up was he.

Any thoughts of running into the bathroom to search for his box of condoms - which were probably expired by now from non-use - quickly disappeared from Jack's mind as Reno pulled him down, demanding to be penetrated, now. The blood roared in his ears, his pulse pounding, Jack felt alive for the first time in so long, he needed this, needed Reno, even more than he'd realized.

Jack entered Reno slowly, not wanting to hurt him too badly, knowing this was the first time Reno had been taken in this fashion. As Reno's legs wrapped around him, drawing him in deeper, Jack quickened his pace, pulling out of Reno slightly as he thrust into him yet harder.

"Holy fuck...you're tight," Jack muttered dumbly, the sweat dripping from his forehead as he entered Reno again, and again. As he looked down at his newfound lover, hair splayed all over the pillow like some sort of sea nymph, something came undone inside of Jack, something he couldn't even put a name to or explain. He knew, though, that he felt something for this man, something beyond raw lust, and if it ever came down to it, he would lay down his life for him.

Reno's hips rolled, body moving almost on autopilot as his own blood roared through his veins, the sound of it in his ears as he started shaking, passion sweeping through him like a flood. Reno had never felt emotions like this, like what he was feeling as this man fucked him into oblivion. It wasn't just lust, there was a burgeoning trust there, and other indefinable emotions he wasn't sure he had names for yet, and he wasn't sure he wanted to give them names even once he didn't have them. "J-jack. . ." he spoke the name on a stutter, his eyes fluttering closed. It was there, dancing on the edges of his awareness like some odd will o'the wisp. The sensation that made his whole body arch and lose control.

He had no idea what was coming, but it didn't really matter. All that did was what he could feel, in the here and now, this surge of desire and need that swamped his mind and rocked his heart, tingeing his skin pink and making him quiver with a moist sheen over his face, sticking the crimson strands to his forehead as his mouth opened, panting gasps and soft moans slipping from between the lust-swollen and reddened lips. He was trembling, clinging to Jack for dear life, though he didn't seem to realize it yet.

Each strike to that place inside, and each stroke of his erect, twitching, and leaking shaft made him rise up higher still, trembling and quivering with a need he'd never felt before. "Oh. . .oh fuck. . ." his emotional resolve not to get involved with anyone here was melting fast, as fast as the ice around his heart and body that had been there since Meteor was.

If anyone had told Jack Bauer a week prior that the following week he'd be making love to a hermaphrodite he'd only just met, he would have laughed at them. Maybe even punched them out. Things were different now, though, and while Jack wasn't sure exactly when his feelings for Reno had intensified, he knew that they had done so one-hundredfold.

Jack grunted in surprise, as Reno rolled him over on his back and straddled him, showing little signs of his injury as he rode hard on Jack. "Oh...fuck..." Jack whispered, grabbing a handful of ass as he pistoned his hips up, slamming into Reno as he felt himself peaking. "Touch yourself," Jack hissed at Reno. "Touch yourself...do it."

All it took was one touch, and his body bent backward into a bow shape, mouth open wide, limbs shuddering, the contractions starting through the opening that was being plunged into so masterfully, seeding spilling all over his hand, all over his belly, all over Jack's belly, as he shook his way through the climax, then collapsed against the other man, not minding one bit the mess getting on him. He didn't realize that his eyes had begun to fill, not that he would have admitted it even if he had, the emotion of the moment beginning to overwhelm him, just the tiniest bit. He held onto him, and felt a bit like an idiot even as he felt Jack fill him up.

Then he got up and headed into the bathroom fast, shutting the door. This had suddenly gotten so awkward, for reasons Reno was not even all that sure of, though most of it was likely because he was on the verge of tears, and he had no idea why, which just made him feel all the more awkward and idiotic. get your ass together, for fuck's sake, Reno. You know you want him, you know you want this, but it happened so fucking fast. . .that's what's making this so fucking hard. He took several deep breaths, trying to get his head back on straight. He didn't want to make Jack get worried that something had happened between them or that he was rejecting him, he wasn't, it just had gotten too intense.  
The sound Jack would hear through the door would be a soft, choked sob then the sound of water running, trying to cover it up. "It isn't you, you know." floated through the closed door. "I just want you to know it's not you."

Jack sighed as he pulled out of Reno, a sigh of pleasured satisfaction escaping his lips. He couldn't stop the grin that was now plastered across his face either, basking in the afterglow as he was. As Reno collapsed against him, Jack pulled him gently to his chest, whispering terms of endearment while stroking his hair. This wasn't like Jack, to fall so quickly, but he was. He wasn't the type to have one-night stands, either, not at this point in his life, anyway. As a younger man he would have done so, but not now. And not with Reno, the truth of the matter was, the displaced redhead had suddenly and unexpectedly captured Jack's heart; just at a point in time where Jack thought he might grow old alone, and becoming somewhat okay with the idea of that.

He felt Reno's body stiffen, and quirked an eyebrow in surprise when his lover abruptly got up and ran to the bathroom, hiding his face. Is he...crying? Jack thought, worried. Fuck...what the hell did we just do? He must...be regretting this, or something. But I don't. I have no regrets at all...he needs to know that.

"Reno," Jack called through the bathroom door, knocking softly. "Reno, please...don't think I regret for one second what just happened, because I don't. I wanted you...I still want you...hey are you okay in there? I'll...be in the bedroom, if you want to talk."

Reno slipped out of the bathroom and plopped himself back down on the bed, red hair hanging in his face and hiding his eyes. "Sorry I took off like that." The apology was a rare thing for the redhead, but he honestly did feel lousy for taking off and making Jack feel like an ass. "I just generally don't well. . ." and his face was tinged pink again, this time in embarrassment. I don't do relationships, and here I am suddenly. . .wanting one, and I don't know how. "I don't do the whole relationship thing generally, what I had with the others, it was kinda more a keeping it in the family thing. But. . .with you I wanna an' it scares the piss outta me."

He looked up at Jack, eyes half-lidded. "I know love ain't supposed to be scary, but this is. . .it's scary as fucking Hell, and I have no idea what the fucking Hell I'm doing, what makes it worse is for once I don't wanna fuck this up, and I have a tendency ta fuck up the things I don't want to fuck up, which is a good part of why I don't normally do relationships." The explanation was a circuitous, he knew, but Reno had a bit of an issue explaining himself all the way with some things.

Jack sighed and nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed as he draped an arm around Reno, trying to comfort him and help put him at ease. He wasn't about to go into his own track record, not yet, anyway. There was no need for Jack to tell Reno at this point how the last woman he'd had an affair with, had been directly responsible for Teri's death.

"Reno...I'll be honest, this is scaring the hell out of me too. It's happened so fast..." He paused, trying to get Reno to look him in the eye. "It's happening fast, yeah, but it feels right, too. I can't really explain what it is that I'm feeling, except I know I don't want it to end. I want you to stay with me...we'll see where this goes." Jack pulled Reno into his side in a gentle embrace, kissing his forehead.

"I won't walk off again I promise, but-" And Reno looked up as the front door opened, seeing the same blond girl as in the photo framed there in the door, her eyes taking in the scene. "Well. . .shit." Is all he says to the expression of disbelief and distaste on her face.

The next thing Jack knew, he was looking up into the disapproving eyes of Kim. "Christ, Kim," he muttered, grabbing a throw blanket in an attempt to cover himself and Reno. "I know I gave you a key, but you know, you could _knock_ once in a while."

Chapter 4  
Summary:

Reno and Jack get caught in the act, and are suddenly forced to flee.

"It smells like a whorehouse in here, Dad." Kim said very bluntly. "And you're sitting on your bed, nude, with a _guy_. I mean, I don't have a right to say anything to you about your sex life, but when Chloe said you had moved someone in with you I didn't know you were _sleeping_ with him." She could almost feel the eye roll from the redhead next to her father, but she wasn't commenting on it, she knew better than to get into with any guy that her father would put up with because they were likely as stubborn, opinionated, and determined as he was.

Reno had indeed eye rolled. "Look, I get you not bein' down with me _fuckin'_ , well bein' fucked _by_ but let's not quibble semantics, yeah, your dad, but he's got a right to be with whoever he wants." he shook his head, sighing. "I don't know anything about your family situation, not really. I just know I'm beginnin' to fall in love with your father, and I don't wanna lose him." The words were heavily accented with the slums drawl of a Sector Seven native, but understandable. "Ya gotta understand, I don't say shit like this often, but it's true."

She dropped her shoulders, looking almost defeated. Yes, there was some amount of anger that her father had seemingly replaced Teri so soon, but she could hear the catch in Reno's voice, the traces of desperation and loneliness that she could tell he hoped he wouldn't be heard, and her anger melted away. "You hurt my father, I will beat your ass bloody, ok? Just don't do it."

Jack bristled under Kim's interrogatory tone, sticking his chin out stubbornly. He placed a hand on Reno's thin knee, unintentionally staking his claim with that small showing of possessiveness.

"You're right, sweetheart," Jack said evenly, addressing Kim. "My love life is really _not_ any of your business." He glanced sideways at Reno, feeling quite surprised - happily so, as the man confessed what was in his heart.

"Listen, Kim," Jack went on. "I don't mean to be impolite here, but you came at a bad time." _Understatement of the year._ "Why don't you have a seat in my office. I found some more of those old photos you were looking for...of you and mom," he added, a sad look washing over him momentarily. "They're on my desk, if you want to go through them. We'll be out in a few minutes, I think Reno and I would both like to get some clothes on," Jack said, smiling kindly at Kim.

As she nodded and left the room, Jack turned to Reno, parting his lips with his tongue as he kissed him, thoroughly. "I don't know what it is that you're doing to me, but I cannot get enough of you," he whispered, nibbling gently along Reno's neck and shoulder. Jack realized that if Kim wasn't waiting out there for him, he probably would have taken Reno to his bed yet again; he'd never felt this damned compatible - or insatiable with anyone, not in a very long time at least.

"You know," Jack added, narrowing his eyes mischievously, a sly look upon his face. "It looks like we'll be needing showers..."

Reno snorted at him, chuckling softly. "I'd say yeah, you know I'm always up to that shit, but I'd really like to get off on the right foot with your kid, yo. She seems like a good kid, and she cares about you, an' causin' trouble with your family ain't something I wanna do." His eyes took on a shaded look at the mention of "family". His own family history wasn't the best, and he could see Jack had something good here. He didn't want to screw that up for him, not for anything. The man deserved better. "Come on, let's get dressed an' mingle, yeah? Might as well get to know your kid if we're gonna be spending any amount of time together."

Jack grinned, brushing his lips softly against the crimson tufts of Reno's hair. "Yeah, I know," he said, a bit sheepish. "I'm not that much of an asshole, that I'd be messing around in here while my daughter's waiting for me out there." He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of Reno's hair and skin; it was spicy, redolent and exotic, mingling with the scents of sex that still lingered in the room, so bluntly pointed out by Kim just moments ago. Jack chuckled at that, in spite of himself.

"Let's get ourselves cleaned up and dressed," he told Reno. "And then, I should properly introduce you to my daughter, I think."

Reno did pull Jack in for a deep, lingering kiss, eyes closing a moment as he relished the feel of him. Then he slipped a pair of pants and a shirt on, heading back out to the rest of the house. There was a lot Jack didn't know about him, his family, his past. He had a feeling there would be questions coming that he wasn't sure how to answer or even if he wanted to. But they were ones that would come up, and he knew he'd need to have answers for them when they did. _How to explain to him about my family, though? Abusive stepfather, I have no idea who the fuck my father even is._

Kim was flipping through the photo albums, her eyes half open, tears coming to them, but she didn't want to show them. She looked up as arms came around her shoulder, the gesture taking her by surprise as she turned her head, looking up into brilliant teal eyes that gleamed with the glow of Mako. "I never meant for her to die like that. . .and I could never. . .stop feeling like it was my fault Mom died. . .I said I blamed Dad, but deep down. . .I always felt like it was me."

"It wasn't your fault. . .I mean I don't even gotta know the situation to know that, kid." Reno closes his eyes, he knew how it felt to lose one's mother, knew it far too intimately. "It hurts like Hell to lose your Mom, trust me I know. . .I been there, done that. . .but you can't carry that on yourself. You can't. If you do all you'll do is drive yourself nuts, and that ain't gonna help anyone." He hugged her tight for a moment. "I'm not tryin' to take the place of your mom, ok? I'm not. I know it might seem like it, but I just. . .well, I love your dad and that's all there is to it."

Normally Kim would have been angry that someone had caught her in a private moment this way and had been so presumptuous, but she could tell Reno was serious, not trying to be nasty or hurtful or anything of that nature. He'd been through the same things she had, and had come through it stronger, even if the hurt still rose to the surface and haunted him sometimes. "That means a lot. . ." she looked back at him, a smile curving her face. "To know you're not trying to replace Mom, that you just genuinely love Dad. . it means a lot, it helps." and she let out a wry chuckle "even if you are a guy."

Reno chuckled at that. "Listen, family means a shit lot to me, even if it ain't conventional in the least. 'Cause it's not something that's easy to make, or to hold onto." A haunted look crossed his face a moment, but he shoved it away, a smile slipping up onto it again. "You love your dad, ain't a damn thing wrong with that, not at all. You want him protected, ya want him safe. I make a promise to you, though. . .right here. I'm not gonna do anything to hurt your dad, or you. I'll lay my life on th'line for both of you, because you're my family now."

Those words, they may not know how rare it is for Reno to speak them, but they would figure it out soon enough. Family was something that meant the world to him, and if he counted you as family he would do anything he had to do, to keep them safe. Even if it meant his life.

"Kim," Jack began, walking over to his desk where she was sitting. "This...is Reno. Well, I suppose you've already met, really, but anyway..."

"I know what you're probably thinking, Kim," Jack went on. "That this has happened pretty fast, and yeah - it has. It took me by surprise, but the thing is, I'm in love with him." He paused for a moment, trying to read Kim's face to see her reaction.

"You can keep those, Kim," Jack said softly, nodding toward the photo album. "I had copies made, and I put these into the album for you. "I know it hasn't been easy on you...and maybe I haven't been there for you like I should have, but I'm trying to change, I really am." Jack blanched momentarily, wondering if Reno would think he'd always been some kind of asshole to his daughter - and he hadn't been, not intentionally. He'd been distant with Kim ever since Teri died, never meaning to be, and then when he had to go undercover on assignment from CTU, Jack was gone for months, without a word to Kim, he hadn't been allowed to even tell her about the undercover assignment before he left. While it hadn't been his fault, but Jack still felt he had to do a lot of making up for lost time.

"Thanks, Dad. . .by the way, why don't we go all go out to dinner? My treat. There's that new Italian place that opened downtown, they make the best veal Parmesan I have had in a very long time. " Kim was trying to be diplomatic, even though she wasn't sure what to make of the relationship between her Dad and this man. She hadn't expected it at all, but she supposed it wasn't all that crazy, men generally were not quite as breakable as women and after what had happened with Teri he would want someone in his life that there was not quite the risk of losing.

"Ya know, I think I'd like that." Reno smiled at both of them, trying not to act awkward, trying to keep the comfort zone he'd managed to create with her. "Never had that, but if ya say it's good, I trust your judgment on that." He was still trying to get used to the food, and everything else on this new world, but at least he could speak the language well enough to be understood now. "Ya know. . .I'm not sure what to even make of alla this. I'm not even sure how I got here, I mean I was movin' some of this mad scientist's old shit, but how it brought me here, I got no clue, none."

His body went tense, he could feel someone's eyes on him, though he wasn't sure whose, but the feeling went away after a while, so he let himself relax again, shaking his head. "I guess we might as well do this, huh?"

"Dinner does sound good," Jack said with a grateful smile toward Kim, happy that she seemed to be accepting of his relationship with Reno - so far, anyway. "Maybe tomorrow night, Kim? We ate dinner earlier...Reno, as it turns out, is a pretty good cook," he added, with a grin toward the redhead.

Jack frowned, noticing Reno's sudden faraway look, and the tension in his body. Something seemed off, but Jack wasn't sure what. "You okay?" he asked Reno quietly. "Looked like you went somewhere for a minute, there."

"Someone was out there." Reno's senses were ringing off the hook. He'd spotted someone outside, watching the house, and it had set him on high alert. He was a Turk, and in his experience when someone was watching and didn't come to them, it was not good news, at all. "I don't know who, but I ain't comfortable with someone bein' out there like that when they don't show themselves." His body was still tense as he scanned the area he'd seen them in to see if he still saw them or if it had just been his imagination.

Kim looked from one to the other, trusting her Dad's judgment; she nodded to him silently to check it out. She didn't realize that the Arabic oil producers had already discovered Reno was here, and were determined to keep the US out of the summit, kidnapping the one that the president had brought into the country in order to keep the initiative that was planned from happening would be a coup, and more than one Middle Eastern country knew that. Of course, the fact that Jack Bauer was his protector would make things difficult, they knew this, but the ones that had come were confident they could do so if they were careful enough.

In a flash, Jack was by the window, pulling back the curtains, peering out. He didn't see anyone, but believed Reno when he said he'd seen someone watching from outside.

"Who was it, Reno?" Jack said hoarsely, already reaching for his duty weapon. "Did you recognize them?" He was starting to realize that someone - or perhaps several someones - were after Reno, but _why_? Jack's wheels turned, and suddenly clicked.

"That explosion," Jack went on. "I know...that it's pretty much the first thing you remember, so what I'm about to suggest doesn't exactly make sense, but...what if it was intentional?" As Reno and Kim looked at him somewhat blankly, Jack shook his head and continued.

"What if," he theorized, "someone on this side knew you were coming through...and was trying to stop that from happening?" As soon as Jack said the words, he realized how crazy it sounded, but he had to throw it out there, even if it was a remote possibility.

"I didn't, no, but they looked a lot like the bastard that was at CTU when it blew up." the redhead was extremely on edge, which likely would not be a whole lot of a shock. Someone had yanked him into an unfamiliar world, then had tried to blow him _up_ and that was something he wasn't having an easy time coming to terms with. And what Jack said next made his eyes narrow. "That makes a shit ton of sense." His body relaxed when the sense of being watched faded. He still wasn't sure just what had happened, why the unease, but he supposed it didn't much matter. Whoever it had been, was gone…or so he thought.

"Dad. . .maybe we should go stay at the old house? I mean, if we really think there was someone there, they might come back. . .and that's the last thing we need. Especially if someone is after him, right?" Kim was being as sensible as she possibly could be, and she picked up her purse and the album in preparation to move just as a limo pulled up in front of the house. "Dad. . .I think it's either the President or Wayne. . that's a presidential car. I wonder what's going on? He normally doesn't come here unless it's some kind of important circumstance." That was something Kim knew from experience, President Palmer almost never called on her father or came to them unless he truly needed them.

"Jack. ..m'not sure I like this, that you get an important visitor so shortly after I get here. Somethin' about this strikes me fucked up an' funny, an' I ain't sure what, not yet. Do you trust this guy? I suppose that's th'main question, yeah? If you trust him, I will too, just feels kinda fucked up."

"I trust David Palmer," Jack replied simply. "The president," he added, explaining to Reno. "Wayne is his brother." Jack had, of course, a wonderful rapport with David, and a decent one with Wayne; still, there was something about the younger Palmer brother where Jack couldn't bring himself to say out loud that he completely trust the man. _Too ambitious_ , Jack thought absently. _That's not to say the president isn't ambitious himself, but there's something about Wayne that's a bit more...cut-throat._

"Let me see what Wayne wants first, Kim," Jack told his daughter. "I've gotta say, this is unexpected," he muttered, as he went to answer the door. Opening it, he saw Wayne there, flanked by a pair of bodyguards. Standard procedure, for the president's brother to be well guarded - and Jack knew that. Still, he felt a bit of tension coming from Wayne, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Wayne," Jack said, shaking his hand. "Good to see you. What can I do for you? Does the president need something?" He ushered him into his home, along with the guards, and shut the door.

"I'll explain as much as I can in just a moment," Wayne replied cryptically. "Good to see you again, Kim," he said, nodding at her. Wayne glanced curiously at Reno, eyeing him up and down. "I'm Wayne Palmer," he said, extending his hand. "I assume you must be - "

"This is Reno," Jack cut in, introducing the two men. "He's been my...houseguest, since he was taken in at CTU. I trust both you and the president read my report regarding the explosion?"

"We have," Wayne replied. "Any further leads on that, Jack?"

"Not yet," Jack replied, not wanting to share with Wayne - yet - his suspicions that the explosion _might_ have been intentional. "I have to say, I'm surprised to see you show up here in the presidential limo, with no warning."

"Yes, well," Wayne began, clearing his throat. "David did send me on his behalf. Now, I can't get into the details right now, time is of the essence, but David will gladly debrief you when you arrive."

"Arrive where?" Jack cut in, his eyes narrowing slightly. He exchanged a glance with Reno, neither of them seemed to know what to make of this, but both were on edge.

"To the White House," Wayne replied. "I am to escort both you and your...guest, back to D.C. There's a private jet waiting at LAX to take us back."

Jack said nothing right away, but digested this for a moment. "I realize he's a busy man, but I'd like to speak with the President myself before we go. What's this all _about_ , Wayne?"

Reno shook Wayne's hand, but like Jack, something about the man set him ill at ease. "Look, I'm not sure what you're here about, but yeah, I'd like to hear from whoever sent you." The thick Midgar Slums accent colored his speech, even as he peered the black man in the eye. "I got no issue comin' with you if Jack comes with us, but I wanna be sure this is somethin' on the up an' up, if ya know what I mean." He was reminded sharply of Rude in the look in the man's eye, which sent a shot of pain filled longing through him, not that he would admit to that.

Of course, what David had in mind wouldn't work the way that he thought it would. Earth's Gaia, or energy field, was not reachable or refineable in the way the Lifestream had been back on Reno's world, as instead of being one mass, it was split up into small chunks of life essence, without the interconnectedness that Gaia had about its own well of prana. Another thing which set Reno ill at ease a bit, as he was not accustomed to people being so, to put it in laymen's terms, self-contained. Not that he even realized that being aware of that wasn't normal.

"Call him. I wanna know what the Hell is goin' on before I leave here. At least some small run down. I ain' averse ta helpin' a person if I got at least a loose idea o'what's goin' on. I just don't like the idea o'bein' out on a limb. As I'm sure you can understand, right?" He gave Wayne one of those looks that said about everything, all that he figured needed to be.

"Nice to see you too." Kim gave Wayne a slight smile. It had been a long while since she had seen him, and she actually liked him, when he wasn't acting like an overly ambitious turd. Unfortunately that was how he acted more often than not.

"Look Wayne," Jack spoke plainly, addressing the president's brother; there was no point in beating around the bush at this point, and that wasn't Jack's style, anyway. "Reno's only been out of the hospital a few days now, and during that time has been working on learning our language...he's done remarkably well at picking it up, actually." Jack couldn't help but look at Reno a bit admiringly at that; the redhead had adjusted rather quickly, which was impressive given that Reno was from another _world_ altogether. He gave Reno a quick smile before continuing with Wayne.

"You know I respect your brother, Wayne," Jack went on. "And I trust his judgment. Still, I'd prefer to speak with him at some point before we leave. I'm guessing it's something pretty serious if he sent you all the way out here, and I'm really curious as to what the president wants with my - ah, with Reno." Jack flinched inwardly, wondering if Wayne would realize the near-slip.

"Look, I can understand where you're both coming from," Wayne said, trying to appear sympathetic. "The thing is, David is in a cabinet meeting right now, I really can't disturb him." _A small lie, but one of necessity_ , Wayne thought. _Besides, it's not unreasonable to think the president of the United States might be too busy to make a phone call._

"What I can do, is try to phone David from the plane, once we're in the air," Wayne continued, in an air of compromise. "It's the best that I can do Jack, honestly."

The refusal to put the one who had asked them to come on the phone set Reno even more ill at ease, and he stared Wayne down with those eerily glowing blue green eyes. "Look, you want me to come with you, I talk to the one that sent you, understand? That is the way it is, and if you don't like it, too fucking bad. I'm not just getting on a plane with someone I don't know for reasons I haven't been told. That's all there damn well is to it." He suspected Wayne was not going to like that, but hey, too bad. "Either that, or you explain to me enough of what the Hell's going on that I had some idea of what we're doing."

He looked from Wayne, to Jack, and back, waiting to have something explained to him. He would go if there was some kind of explanation, and only then. He shook his head and met Wayne's eyes. "Look, I ain't tryin' to be rude, or an asshole. I'm really not. But I wanna know what the Hell's goin' on. I don't make it a habit to trust people right off th'bat usually. Jack an' his daughter are exceptions, 'cause he's been nothin' but decent to me since I came here, and so has she. You want me to trust you? Prove I can." The gauntlet had been thrown, whether Wayne would take the challenge or not remained to be seen.

Kim just watched this, wondering what was going to happen, if Wayne would just give them some kind of explanation or use methods that would likely not sit well with Reno or her father to get the redhead into DC. She hoped he chose the first because she had a feeling things would not turn out well if he chose the second, and unfortunately he had a tendency to _choose_ the second if a situation that was presented to him frustrated him enough. _For God's sake, Wayne, please don't do something stupid._

Jack was growing more irritated by the minute, it didn't seem that Wayne was going to budge on this. Deep down, there was something about Wayne that put Jack on edge, something bordering on mistrust.

"Wayne, come on...level with me," Jack said, staring down the man. "Don't tell me you came all the way out here on the president's orders with no idea of what's going on. If the president isn't available, fine, but _you_ can tell me - and Reno - what's going on before we get on the plane."

The sweat began to drip down the back of Wayne's neck, dampening his shirt. He really hadn't expected Jack to be this difficult, he knew the man was stubborn, but had hoped that since he was here under the president's orders...Well, he would have to try a different tactic now.

"Jack, I'm under a presidential order to bring you and the suspect back with me," Wayne said coldly. "If you refuse to comply, it could be considered treason." Frowning at Jack and Reno, Wayne pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. "It's a go," he said simply into the phone, then disconnected the call.

"Really didn't want to have to do this, Jack," Wayne said, shaking his head. Moments later, everyone froze at the sudden sound of several cars speeding, then screeching to a sudden stop in front of Jack's house.

The car doors opened to expose Aaron Pierce and and several other Secret Service agents that walked up toward the house with sure and steady steps. "Walt, just _please_ don't do something that would upset Jack, please. We're supposed to work _with_ Wayne, not act on our own and make a mess of things." Aaron was capable of being rough when it was called for, but at the same time he wasn't sure it _was_ called for. Especially not with someone who'd gotten out of the hospital a few days before. He had a strange feeling this was not going to go how he thought it might, and that wouldn't do at all.

Reno stood stock still and let Jack answer the door, because something about this set him even more extremely on edge than he already had been when Wayne had gotten there. "Hello, Jack." Aaron greeted him politely, but something about the tension in his body would likely set everyone off. "I'm afraid you will have to come with us. Under Title Four Subtitle B Section 412 of the Patriot Act, we are authorized and obligated to bring into custody anyone that might possibly be threat to the domestic security of the United States of America." He looked back at Walt, hoping he would take this as a cue not to start a riot.

"What fucking threat? I haven't _done_ anything! The explosion wasn't my fault, Gods be damned, and I was injured when it happened. Fuck this shit, this is the kind of bullshit the Old Man would pull, and I wouldn't put up with it from him, either! Either I get a reasonable fucking explanation for what the Hell is going on, or you can get the fuck out of here!" The explosion was one that had happened because the redhead had finally reached the end of his rope with the situation at hand and couldn't deal with any more of it. "Fuck, what does someone have to do to get a straight fucking answer around here, I swear to fucking _Shiva_!"

Kim groaned. She knew damn well how this was going to over. Aaron was capable of being reasonable, but Walt tended to the pushy side of things and that got him and anyone in his path when he lost his temper, or pushed someone _else_ to lose theirs, depending on who snapped first. _Great, just great. I hope Dad has good homeowner's insurance because I have a feeling this is going to get messy fast._

"What he said," Jack spoke in a low, angry tone, facing Aaron. "What threat? This man has done nothing wrong, except to be in the wrong place in the wrong time. He's the sole surviving witness to an explosion, and is under my protection. Aaron, you don't want to do this, be reasonable. Yes, Reno was initially brought in as a suspect, because we didn't know who he was. I interrogated him, CTU cleared him...hell, haven't any of you read my report?"

Wayne looked thoughtfully at Jack, then Reno, then back to Jack again. He wasn't sure if he was right about this, but it couldn't hurt to bluff. "Isn't he a little more to you than that, Jack?" he said quietly, eyes steady as he stared at both of them. "You seem rather chummy with someone you've only just met. I'd daresay your personal interest in this man has compromised your objectivity on this case...I'm very surprised CTU hasn't pulled you _from_ this case, actually. I might have to suggest that to David when we get back, that you're having trouble remaining detached, Jack."

"Oh shove it, Wayne," Jack snapped. "You have no idea what you're talking about." He caught Reno's eye and gave him a quick nod. _Be ready_ , his gaze seemed to say. "Well, Aaron," Jack said slowly, walking over to the Secret Service agent, his voice calm now. "I guess they're not leaving me with much choice, huh? _Sorry about this_ ," he whispered, as he head-butted the man, then wrenched his arm behind his back, pinning him to the wall, pressing a knee painfully into the small of his back. "Aaron, I don't want to do this, you _know_ that," Jack whispered to the man, who nodded silently.

"Reno, go _now_!" Jack shouted over his shoulder, as Walt swooped in to subdue Jack and help pull him off of Aaron. "Take Kim and get the hell out of here!"

Reno growled, and opened the door, trying to hustle her out. Fuck that shit, he was no woman that needed to be protected, he was more than capable, even recovering from injuries, of being able to fight at Jack's side, and he had every intention of doing so. Of course, this was going to make it quite clear that Reno shared Jack's feelings, but at the moment he didn't rightly care, he just wanted to make sure Jack got out too if he was determined to run. As soon as one of the agents got close enough to try to subdue Jack, he nailed him in the back of the head hard enough to knock him out, a roundhouse kick knocking another out, before a green aura surrounded him as adrenaline flooded his blood, only to fade away and be replaced by a bright gold one. . .and things were about to get interesting.

Kim ran as if the flames of Hell were chasing her after she was shoved out the door. There was no one else coming, fortunately, so she was able to get to a neighbor's and hide out until she was retrieved, she knew the drill, this was what her Dad did when things of this nature came up, he made her leave, go to a neighbor's, and then come back when the danger was over. She didn't even go back when the bright light filled the window and began to make her wonder what the Hell was going on.

Aaron didn't even have a chance to open his mouth to warn Jack when Walt pulled out a dart gun, a dart being fired to hit Jack in the back of the neck, the tranq strong enough to knock him out for several hours when it finally did take him down. "For God's sake, Walt, was that really necessary? I invoked the Patriot Act in hopes of doing this _without_ physical violence." He was cut off as a burst of electric current rang through his body, making him twitch, not even a scream coming from. The limb that had struck him in the stomach had been ringed by a powerful Bolt spell, as Reno's limit break had been awakened, which consisted of speed and agility boosts, his body being surrounded by electricity.

"Get out of our fucking house. . .the second you started this shit was the second you lost the chance for me to trust you. I'm not a case, I am a fucking _person_."

Jack staggered slightly as the numbing effects of the tranquilizer began to wash over him. He clutched at the dart embedded in the back of his neck and pulled it out, tossing it aside. He blinked as the ethereal light, warning of Reno's limit break began to glow; Jack felt every hair on his body stand on end as electricity filled the air, then saw Aaron sink to the ground in a boneless heap, groaning in agony. Jack growled and charged at Walt, tackling him to the ground. He was becoming tired and weak from the tranquilizer, but had just enough strength left to get the man into a sleeper hold, quickly rendering him unconscious.

"Go," Jack growled at Wayne, who was standing there open-mouthed, backing toward the door. "You should have done this the right way, Wayne. I can guarantee you that the president will not be happy about this."

"You seem to think you have special privileges because you're a friend of David Palmer's," Wayne jeered. His cocky tone belied the nervousness he felt inside. He had misjudged Jack Bauer - badly, and the man was right, David would not be happy at _all_ about how this had gone down. "You're forgetting, Jack, you are an employee of the United States government, you're simply a CTU field agent...your friendship with my brother does not give you executive privileges."

"Don't you talk to me about David," Jack retorted. "You may be his brother, but you're not fit to wipe his shoes. One phone call could have avoided all of this, Wayne. _One phone call._ Now go." Muttering, Wayne fled the small house, running quickly to the presidential limo. He was already thinking of how he'd break the news to David, that not only had he returned to DC without Bauer and the witness; explaining how he'd authorized the Secret Service agents to use excessive force against them would be no easy feat either. There really was no good way to spin any of this, and Wayne was slowly beginning to realize that, as the limo sped off.

"Reno," Jack murmured, his voice slurring as unconsciousness threatened to take over. "I'm...sorry...didn't mean to dismiss you like that," he apologized. He knew the moment he'd told Reno to go, that he'd stung the redhead's pride greatly. "I just...just wanted Kim safe. Thank you..." His voice trailed off, his head lolling about as the tranquilizer took over.

"We...have to get out of here," Jack mumbled, falling to the floor. "You...need to...drive my truck, Reno. Keys...in my pocket." He reached his hand up, trying to grasp Reno's, but slipped, hitting the floor once again as he completely blacked out.

Reno carried Jack out into the truck, and opened the door, loading him into the passenger seat and strapping him in before pulling around to the other side, cursing as he realized one small hitch in Jack's escape plans. "Son of a bitch. . .the truck is a fucking _manual_. I shoulda known _something_ was gonna go wrong. I'm never lucky enough for something not to." He sighed, and started the truck. "Gonna have to learn on the fly, because I can't just stay around here."

The truck starting got Kim's attention, and she came out of the neighbor's, getting into the back seat. "I know a place just over the line in Canada, just go north, I'll show you. It's in British Columbia." she gestured to the highway north, the sign for I-5 hanging overhead. "Just head up there, keep going until you hit the border checkpoint. Canada doesn't check for passports, they just make sure you don't have anything illegal in the car, and then pass you through." The gears ground as Reno shifted, and he let out another curse as he tried to get accustomed to the clutch. "If I didn't think your dad was fucking attached to this thing I'd trade it in for an automatic."

He watched the passenger seat for Jack to wake, hoping he did it soon, even if just so he could get Jack to _drive_. The clutch was beginning to drive him out of his damn gourd, and fast, and the fact was he was worried about Jack as well. He could feel Kim's eyes on him. "What?" he asked, not exactly peevishly, but not exactly politely either. He was annoyed as Hell at the way things had gone.

"You really love my dad, don't you?" Reno didn't answer that, he didn't know how to without making himself sound like a dumbass as he kept one eye on Jack and one on the road.

  
24 Hours to Find A Soul.html

Title: 24 Hours to Find A Soul  
by MakoHeadrush, redheadturkey

Summary:

Reno finds himself in a strange new world,arriving there by somewhat violent means. His bad luck turns worse when he meets Jack Bauer, who brings him in for questioning. The two strike up a partnership -and more, as they work together to solve the case. [This is an RP between MakoHeadrush and redheadturkey that has now turned into a fan fic.] Warnings for slash, herm MPREG, rape/non-con and violence.

 

Published at: 2012-10-11  
Revised at: 2012-10-11 08:14:08 -0400

Chapter 1

Bright lights and sound, heat, and the searing pain of the flames. The slender body was flung backward, hitting a wall hard, the cracking sound of several ribs breaking buried under the other sounds associated with the explosion. Reno was not even sure how he had ended up in this Hell, last he remembered he'd been clearing out some equipment in Hojo's old lab in the ruins of the old ShinRa building, next thing he knew he was here, with the fire of an explosion going off around him, hitting a wall hard enough to send a fair amount of searing pain through him.

People were talking around him in a language he didn't understand, he'd come to rest a few feet from Paula, buried under some rubble, the only beacon of his presence being the brilliant red hair that even coated in dirt spoke of his being there, basically saying "here I am." to anyone who may find him. He hurt, pain pulsing through his body in time with his heart, which beat at a frantic pace from the adrenaline rushing through him. Reno had had a phobia of enclosed spaces and being pinned since he'd been very young, one he dealt quite well most of the time, but being in the middle of an explosion in a strange place with people he couldn't communicate with had just ramped it up to an insane degree.

The blue green eyes were wide as pie plates and frantic when rescuers located him, his defensive instincts causing him to fight the medics trying to treat him. He had no idea what was coming when Jack finally returned to CTU.

"Chloe, tell me what's happening," Jack said after he'd entered CTU's command central. "Got word that someone was brought in, possibly connected with that explosion - "

"Yes, Jack," Chloe said abruptly, cutting him off. "He's been fighting with everyone, including the paramedics, ever since he was brought in. Medical just told me he kicked the attending physician in the face - "

"Damn," Jack said, a bit admiringly. He studied the monitor at Chloe's workstation, a closed circuit camera monitoring the as-yet unidentified redhead. "What's his story, any ID on him, anything?"

"Not a thing," Chloe replied, smirking. "Oh, and he doesn't seem to understand English. Or, any other language we've tried. Either he doesn't understand what we're saying, or - he's just a dumbass." She handed Jack a dossier, and he nodded, thumbing through it briefly.

Jack smirked, and tucked the dossier under his arm as he headed toward the interrogation room. "Well, I speak a few languages myself. Don't worry, Chloe, I'll get him to talk."

Reno just stared at the man who came into the room, his face a mix of a sneer and other unreadable emotions. Inwardly he was thoroughly terrified but he wasn't about to show that. When Jack started talking, he just stared at him blankly, not understanding him at all. "Look, get the fucking point, I do not understand you! Asking me a shit ton of questions in a language I don't understand is not helping you or me! So either get someone in here who speaks Midgar Common, or shut the fuck up." He snarled, though the way he was breathing would tell Jack that there had been some internal injury when he'd hit the wall. He tossed his ShinRa ID at Jack, nothing was readable on it.

"I figure you're lookin' for ID first off, in your position it's what I'd be lookin' for, so there you are. I have no idea what the fuck happened, I just know I hurt, and your fucking medical personnel are dumbasses." the sound of his breath was wet, laboring, but the determination that was in those eyes spoke volumes. The language itself sounded much like Old Norse, which one of the other agents would notice when they had a chance. The guy was a linguist that specialized in old languages, but how much damage Jack would do between now and when it was realized that he could not understand them was anyone's guess.

He stared Jack down, though, courage and determination written across the fair skinned face, even through the sweat sheen that coated it.

Jack caught the laminated keycard flying through the air, and glanced at the indecipherable text. "Is this some kind of joke?" he snarled. Jack placed a foot on the seat of the chair, in between Reno's legs, the shoe pressing down upon the redhead's crotch.

"Talk," Jack ordered simply. "I don't think you need to know English to know what will happen here if you don't," Jack said, staring down at his foot, then staring up coldly at the defiant redhead. "I know five languages, so try me. Do you speak English?" Silence.

"¿Hablas español?" No answer. Try another one."Ty govoriš' po-russki? Da li govoriš srpski? Sprechen Sie Deutsch?"

"What the fuck," Jack muttered under his breath, frustrated. He saw the redhead grin at that, and rolled his eyes. "Well, you know that word, all right."

"Now look," Jack murmured, his patience starting to wear thing. "We can be here all damned day, I know quite a few languages, but I'm really not in the mood." He leaned down and grabbed Reno by the lapels, getting right in his face. "You had better," he hissed, "not be fucking with me."

Releasing Reno, Jack paced. "This is a waste of time," he muttered to himself, but decided to keep plugging. What next? Mandarin? Russian? He doesn't look like either nationality. Actually, he doesn't look like any particular nationality at all...

"Hal tatakallam al-lughah al-'arabīyah? Nǐ huìbúhuì jiǎng guóyŭ?" Still nothing.

"Nihongo o hanashimasu ka?" The last one, that got a reaction, as the redhead nodded at Jack. The agent pulled out his cell phone and dialed. "Chloe," he barked. "I need our best linguist up here, now."

"If you are fucking me over," Jack told Reno, "I'll find out soon enough."

It sounded a bit like Japanese to Jack, but the accent was stilted, strange. Still, Jack was shocked to hell when the redhead started speaking the strange dialect, and he was able to decipher some of the words. He stepped back, removing his foot from the redhead's crotch, and apologized. Funny...he looked like he was enjoying that...

As Reno spoke, Jack felt the words were coming too quickly, he couldn't understand what Reno was saying with how fast he was speaking. "Slow down a minute," Jack addressed him in Japanese. "Please, just speak a bit slower - I think I can understand some of what you just said. One of our language experts is coming up here shortly to see how I can communicate better with you."

Jack paced as he waited for the linguist to arrive, and turned back again to regard Reno. He had a familiar look to him, a hardened look of a man who had seen battle. Jack got an odd inkling that the man could be an agent like himself, or some type of law enforcement.

But probably not law enforcement with that hair, Jack thought, amused. Unless...he's undercover..

As Jack pulled his foot away, he'd notice Reno's hard-on, the man had a masochistic streak a mile wide, always had. He couldn't help the heavy- lidded look that he gave the man as the interpreter got up there. He finally began speaking again, looking at the man to translate, because he wanted to be clear in what he was saying, it was too much of a risk otherwise, and he had no intention of getting himself killed. His entire body ached, and Reno very much suspected he was going to pass out at some point, but he was determined not to do it yet, he was determined to stay awake and aware for the time being, to not let this man take advantage of him.

"Look, I don't know what's goin' on. I hurt, I'm havin' trouble breathin', and I don't know why the shit exploded. All I know is that if you stop tryin' to beat my ass I might could help. I've been doin' the same kind of shit you've been tryin' to with me since I was fifteen years old, that's eight years, I think I have enough experience to fucking help you out if you'll actually let me. Intel gathering, guns, explosives, hand to hand, you name it, I've been trained in it." his head lolls forward a moment, and he switches from Wutain to Midgar Common just because he's on the verge of passing out and trying to gather the words to say in a language that he isn't native to is becoming too difficult.

"Just. . .let me help." is all he said, as his eyes began to flutter closed, but he fought it. He was not letting himself lose consciousness until he was utterly certain hewas safe, that was all there was to it.

Jack wasn't fluent in Japanese the way he was with German and other languages, but he knew enough to speak passably, and was surprised to hear the detainee reveal that he was basically special ops, much like Jack himself. It intrigued him, to hear this foreign speak of things that were second nature to Jack.

Suddenly, the language changed, and the subject began speaking in a language that Jack thought sounded Scandinavian in nature. He shook his head and turned to the linguist, a questioning expression on his face.

"I can make out some of what he's saying here, yes," the linguist told Jack, as he replied to Reno. "It sounds like Old Norse...and what he just said, he's offering to help."

"Help us?" Jack repeated, a bit amazed. They'd beaten the hell out of this man - which was standard protocol for CTU, when taking in a hostile subject, and Reno had most definitely been hostile when he'd first been seized by CTU agents.

"I appreciate the offer," Jack said, speaking again in Japanese. "Thing is, I still don't know who you are, or where you're from...and I need to figure that out, before allowing you to assist CTU in any fashion. I hope you understand my position, here."

"Let's start over, then," Jack continued, pulling up a chair and sitting opposite the man. "What's your name?"

"Reno." the name came out easily enough. "No last name, we drop 'em when we get hired." He gave Jack the look that said he wanted to trust him, the one that said he wanted to but was not sure he could. He was beginning to lose consciousness, as much as he hated it, soon enough he would not be able to even help himself. Though once he had had enough healing to stay conscious he would do quite well, Jack would be able to tell how rugged the man was, even if he was slim and wiry in build. He was strong and enduring by his very nature, of course the single mako injection he'd had when he'd first been recruited helped immensely with that. He didn't realize he had a slow internal bleed, though, one that was slowly beginning to pull him into the darkness.

"Only reason I was so damn violent is I was kinda scared." he shrugged at that. He normally wouldn't admit to it so easily, but on the verge of losing consciousness as he was his guards were down somewhat. "As for where I'm from. .. place called Midgar, somehow I don't think you would have heard of it." It would of course strike a chord with someone who liked video games, as would the appearance of the one in question once he was cleaned up somewhat and not coated in blood and dirt. The hair would be a gleaming red once he was clean.

"Midgar...sounds familiar, but I can't remember where I've heard it before," Jack murmured in reply. When Reno told him he had no last name, it made Jack take pause for a moment; either this guy was a damned liar, and didn't want to reveal his real name, or he really was something along the lines of a special agent or Black Ops...in Midgar, wherever that was.

Jack sized up Reno, and could tell by just a cursory glance that the man was a scrapper, despite his slim build. He suspected the man had some sort of martial arts training, some sort of instinctual hunch told Jack that.

Despite this, Jack could tell that something was starting to go seriously wrong; Reno's face grew pale and sweaty, his breathing erratic. "Hey, hey," Jack called, as Reno's head lolled to the side. "Reno, you don't look good." Jack grabbed Reno's wrist and felt for a pulse; it was wild and erratic, something was definitely wrong. He quickly dialed Chloe again on his cell phone.

"Chloe," he said hoarsely into the phone. "Get a medic in here now, something's wrong with our guest."

As the medics came in, the first true sign of what had happened would become clear, a small trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. The shattered ribs had punctured a lung, which had begun slowly filling with blood, thus the erratic and rough breathing. He coughed, the injured lung trying to clear itself, more blood coming up when he did. His head rocked all the forward, though he gamely clung to awareness with all of his might. "I dun feel so good either." were his final words before he couldn't speak. There would be more questions later, and as the rest of the plot fell into place and it became apparent just how bad things were, he'd end up being taken along for the ride, one of them or not he'd have to help just to survive.

The thing that had allowed him to stay conscious so long is that he'd been sitting up, keeping the lung from socking in as quickly as it would have if he'd been on his back. He'd recover fine now that it had been discovered, he was as tough as the one who'd found him, but if it hadn't been caught things could have been much more complicated. He gave Jack a death's head grin as the darkness rose up around his mind and swallowed him whole.

Jack looked at the unconscious body with some concern, as medical rushed into the interrogation room, and wheeled Reno away. He was their only witness to the explosion, so Jack knew the importance of keeping this man alive, until he could speak with him again.

There was something else to it, however; Jack felt some admiration for the man of course. He'd taken down five CTU agents single-handed, before his injuries from the explosion had gotten the best of him, and he'd collapsed. Jack was starting to believe that Reno was who he said he was, despite his initial doubts.

Turning his attention back toward CTU's linguist, Jack pulled up a chair, facing the man. "So tell me...where is this guy from?" Jack began. "Because that language he was speaking - I presume it's his native language - I've never heard anything like it, not in any country I've ever been to."

"He may be telling the truth, as odd as that might sound." The linguist shook his head, his expression confused. "I mean, what he was speaking sounded a lot like Old Norse, but it the grammar and accent were very unusual. I could understand him, but I had to mentally fix the word placement to do it." he gave Jack one of those serious looks. "He may have seen something that could help us solve this, even though I somehow think he didn't personally have anything to do with this." He was also thinking to himself that the name Midgar sounded very familiar, but he wasn't sure why, not yet. "We should probably go and wait until he's out of surgery, once he's conscious he'll be the only one who might have the information we need."

The drive to the hospital was quiet, really, as the man thought to himself, trying to figure out where he'd heard it. When he figured it out he'd be kicking himself, and he knew it, and Chloe would likely laugh at him. She had always had a strange ability to find data on the most obscure things, and those obscure things often helped solve cases. Even if you'd never think that they would. As they got out, and walked into the hospital, he couldn't help but think about the way he'd seen Jack look at the redhead. It was an expression he hadn't seen on his face since Teri, and he wanted to call him on it, but he was smart enough to leave it alone.

As Jack drove along, driving himself and the linguist to the hospital - hoping to try and talk to Reno once he was out of surgery, he decided to contact Chloe again to have her do some research on this Midgar place... He shook his head, just wondering where in the hell he'd heard the name before. He punched the familiar number and extension into his cell phone and waited for her to answer.

"Chloe," he said shortly. "We're on our way to the hospital, hoping to talk to this guy once he's out of surgery." Jack felt his stomach do a flip; what if Reno didn't make it out of surgery? They'd be screwed, he realized; for one thing, he was their only viable witness to everything. Adding to that, Jack felt oddly concerned about the man. He supposed he felt badly for him, after determining the man wasn't a threat. Of course, that hadn't been until after several CTU agents had beaten the hell out of him.

"I need you to research a place called Midgar," Jack told Chloe on the phone. "I've never heard of it, though the name does sound oddly familiar...I just can't place it."

 

Chapter 2  
Summary:

Jack learns who Reno is, and attempts to communicate with the marooned Turk.

 

Chloe laughed as she heard him, shaking her head. "Midgar, it's from the game Final Fantasy VII, Jack. It was also the name the Normans gave the Earth realm as well, but that's a different thing. I knew that guy looked familiar, but I thought I was going crazy." She sighed. "I'm not sure how it happened, I've seen cosplayers before, to be sure, but never ones that good. I think, honestly, he might be the real thing. As to what he was doing in CTU when it blew up. . .no idea." She listened for Jack's reaction to that, she had known him long enough that she could almost predict it by now. "And before you tell me I'm crazy, that was the only two references I could find, and the one, as much as I'd like it to, makes no sense. The realm covers the whole world, he said it was a city."

The dead silence over the phone spoke volumes, and Chloe almost laughed, but she knew how crazy it sounded, and she wasn't going to laugh at him for stunned silence when she'd said something so crazy, coming to the conclusion because it was the only one aside from the guy being crazy himself that made any sense, and he was far too well trained not to legitimately be what he said he was. "I'd say he was nuts, but Jack, he's too good not to be what he says he is, and no police force around here would train and hire someone who was certifiable. It wouldn't happen."

They got into the building, one the desk nurses recognizing Jack right away, she led them back to the waiting room on the trauma floor. "As soon as he's out of surgery, I'll send a nurse to come get you and take you back to see him."

"Chloe...you can't actually be serious?" Jack said disbelievingly into the phone. Chloe could be a smartass, for sure, but she wasn't really much of a prankster, so Jack was inclined to believe this was for real, as crazy as it sounded. "A video game character?" He chuckled softly.

"No, I'm not laughing at you, Chloe," he said, wanting to make sure she didn't think such a thing. "I'm just laughing because it sounds so...crazy. What the hell would cause something like this to happen?"

Upon arriving at the hospital, Jack and Jurgen, the linguist who'd driven in with him, were ushered into a waiting room. Jack turned to Jurgen, unsure of how to tell him Chloe's findings.

"Okay, Chloe's gotten some background on Reno," Jack told him, smirking. "Good thing you're already sitting down..."

Jurgen just quirked a brow at Jack. He was half expecting something crazy anyway, because Jack had the damnedest luck for it, but what he would hear would be enough to make him wonder if the man was utterly out of his mind. But for the moment he supposed it didn't much matter; They needed the information in order to figure out who had had it in for them like that, though they had to wait for the man to wake up for that. "Lay it on me. It isn't as if I haven't heard stranger things before this." He just gave Jack one of those looks that said he could take it.

Of course he had no idea what Jack was going to propose, or that his reaction would be choking on the bottle of water he'd bought to drink during the long wait for the kid to come out of surgery when he heard. He tended to believe most anything Jack said, anyway, the man had never lied to him yet, and he doubted Jack intended to start now. It was just that what he was about to hear would be something he'd have a hard time swallowing.

"If this was coming from anyone other than Chloe, I wouldn't have believed it myself," Jack told Jurgen. "But Chloe's never bullshitted me, or anyone else for that matter. She told me...that Midgar's a place from a video game - Final Fantasy VII - and Reno is from that world." He studied Jurgen for a reaction, but the linguist simply stared at him, the trace of a smirk playing on his lips.

Jack frowned. "Seriously, Jurgen. You know that I don't bullshit anyone either. I believe what Chloe told me, I just...don't know what to do with that, where to start." He stood up and began pacing, scratching his head. "I mean...how did he get here? How's he going to get back?" Thinking about that made Jack pause a moment, and feel some empathy toward the mysterious redhead; surely he had family, friends, a career back in his world...would he ever see them again?

"Wonder when he'll be out of surgery," Jack murmured as he took his seat again.

That question was soon answered by a gurney being wheeled by, the figure on it wrapped in bandages around his ribs with a tube sticking out from under it. The chest tube was to drain the air from the chest cavity to allow the lung to re-inflate, a painful necessity. He was settled into his room, into the bed, and it wasn't all that long before jewel-toned eyes began to flutter open, a soft moan slipping free of him as consciousness began to return. The first thing to come to his mind was that he hurt. The second was that he was nude, and thus rather cold. The third was that he wasn't alone in the room, the man who had damn near beaten his ass senseless and the linguist that had helped him made himself understood were there with him.

"Man, remind me not to get myself blown up again, ne?" Speech was difficult, but Reno was Reno and had to push even if he shouldn't. "Ow. . .fucking ow." He used Wutaian because he knew Jack would understand him, even though he had very little presence of mind right for that moment. "I have no idea what language you're speakin', but I have gotta learn it." Reno was also worried about how he was going to get home but he needed to survive long enough to figure that out first. And that meant not getting himself into situations where he would be hurt again.

Jorgen snorted. He liked this guy already, even though he barely knew him. "He sounds like you, Jack, I swear." He was waiting for Jack to swat him for it, but it was true.

Jack gave Jurgen a look and rolled his eyes. "Shut it, Jurgen," he muttered, smirking. Jack and Jurgen followed alongside the gurney as the orderly pushed Reno down to the recovery room; having no next of kin, the two CTU agents were allowed to accompany the mysterious redhead.

"So," Jack said, settling into the chair closest to Reno. "We figured out where you're from. And I do believe this is the first time I've ever told anyone this." He called up several websites on his PDA that Chloe had sent to him, gamer websites and Wiki pages that detailed the game.

"You...are apparently a fictional character in a video game," Jack said, showing Reno the info on his smartphone. "Here, take a look. I know...it sounds insane, and it sounds like some bullshit story...I'm having trouble believing it myself."

"So I guess the question is...if you're not real...how in the hell are you here? You look pretty damned real to me," Jack said plainly, his eye wandering up and down the slim frame. He inadvertently licked his lips as he did so, something that did not go unnoticed by Reno.

"Well, it's pretty damn obvious I'm real." Reno rolled his eyes as he shifted to try to get comfortable, gasping a bit at the pain the movement caused. "As to how I got here, well. . that would be the fault of one Professor Hojo. He thinks playing with everything from animals to the space time continuum is a fun hobby." He snorted at that, and then shook his head. "As to why I'd be in a video game well. . ." and he leaned all the way back, hands folding behind his head. "I'm just that good, zo to." He hadn't been able to resist the quip, at all. He heard Jorgen make a noise deep in his throat as the redhead made grabby hands at the phone, wanting to see it for himself.

"Well, fuck me. . .talk about breaking the fourth fucking wall, yo. This begs the question, how did this Sakaguchi guy know about us? Some of this shit's not accurate, but a good deal of it is, and I wanna know how the Hell he knows this shit, because that he does is just fucking with my head, seriously." Reno had never imagined someone on another world knowing they even existed, much less knowing enough to make a story out of their lives. "He doesn't know my partner is from Costa del Sol, and he has an annoying little brother named Eric that has hit on every single fucking chick he's ever brought home. He also doesn't know I grew up in the slums of Sector Seven, but still. . .this blows me away, dude."

And a soft noise, and his eyes soften a bit. "Also doesn't know I was sleepin' with Tseng an' the boss man. . .that alla us were friends, Hell, they're the closest to family I got left."

Something about what Reno had said sounded strange though. "Hojo?" Jack repeated. "What does Howard Johnson's have to do with this?" he asked, as Jurgen snickered. "Shut up, Jurgen. Be professional, for chrissakes."

Jack coughed uncomfortably at the last bit of information. Slept with his boss? Jack wondered. I probably don't want to know the details...And he wasn't about to ask, either, it really wasn't relevant.

"Look," Jack said, pulling his chair up closer. "I don't know how it happened, and you're obviously feeling...a bit out of place here, so far from home. And I'm sure you miss your familiy and friends, too."

"Thing is," Jack continued. "I need your help. You're my only witness to the explosion...and I need to find out who's behind the attack. If you help me, I'll do everything in my power to get you back home...if such a thing is even possible. But if it is, you have my word, I will help you get back there."

He nodded. "On one condition, yo. You help me learn your language, because if I'm gonna be here for any length of time at all, I need to know how to speak the language, I need to know how to blend in, and it ain't gonna happen unless I do." Reno sighed, his head craning down. Jack had been wise enough not to ask about his coworkers, which he was glad of. Talking about home when he wasn't sure, even with Jack's reassurance, that he ever could get back, was painful, and the last thing he wanted to do was even start to tear up in front of these men he barely knew. "I'll tell you what I remember. . .I'll even. . help you find 'em, once I'm strong enough. I need a place to stay, if you can."

Jurgen exchanged a look with Jack, and quietly said "Could bring him the laptop I use for work that has the Rosetta Stone software on it. It won't be perfect, but it'd at least help him learn enough English to speak it passably. The accent would be a bit odd, but I figure as long as he's understandable, it'll be fine." The linguist shrugged, not wanting to say too much, and not wanting to call attention to the fact that Reno looked very upset and seemed the type of guy who wouldn't deal with being coddled well, even if he was injured and it was making keeping his emotions in check harder.

Reno had turned his face toward the wall, his eyes were starting to mist up and he didn't want to show it. He missed Tseng and Rufus terribly, it wasn't anywhere near an exclusive thing, it was something where they all just needed to fuck ever once in a while and indulged each other, but still, they were family, and to be away from them with no way to know if he could ever go home again hurt more than he knew how to say.

Jack sighed quietly and leaned back in his seat, exchanging a glance with Jurgen. He nodded at the suggestion of that laptop, it was a good idea to get Reno started, he figured.

"Jurgen's idea is a good one," Jack said, addressing Reno again in Japanese. "We'll let you use the laptop, it's got a software program on it to help you learn English. I can help you too...I'm fluent in quite a few languages myself."

"As for a place to stay..." Jack began, then hesitated. It wasn't often he invited someone into his home other than Kim - not since Teri died, let alone a complete stranger. Yet here Jack was, about to offer lodging to this intriguing redhead with the strange accent, strange background, and even stranger hair.

Yeah, your accent isn't going to be the only thing preventing you from blending in, Jack thought with an amused grin. Aloud, he said to Reno, "I live alone. You can stay with me while you learn English...and I'll try to help you assimilate. Sound good?"

"Thank you." the words were heartfelt, a smile crossing his face though he looked very wan. "Could you bring the computer in now? I wanna learn as fast as I can. I hate being helpless, being unable to communicate drives me up a frickin' wall. Always has." He shook his head at that, hoping to be out of here soon. Reno had always hated hospitals, convalescence drove him batty due to the fact that it involved him having to stay still, which drove him almost as nuts as not being able to communicate. He had a great amount of energy normally, and despised having to lay down and being stuck that way. He wanted to get started on something useful for learning how to get by here.

"I'll bring it up when I head back for dinner, which should actually be pretty soon." Jurgen nodded a confirmation of that. He felt sorry for the guy, really. He knew how he felt, when he'd left Norway he'd felt just as lost as confused. He hadn't known a lick of English, having been raised around Norwegian his whole life, he'd not known the culture, he'd come here for a better job, and to make a home for himself, maybe have some to send back to his family. It hadn't been an easy adjustment at all, but he'd made it, even as difficult as it had been. He wanted to help this guy make it too.

The fact that Jack was already beginning to take a shine to the kid, his eyes lighting up in a way he hadn't seen since Teri had died and he and Kim had stopped talking? Even more reason to help.

"That'll help a lot, the sooner you start, the better," Jack said, nodding. "Plus like I said, I can help you too. Don't push yourself too hard, though...you've been through a lot, punctured lung and everything."

"Sounds like you'll be here a few days at least, but you might get released sooner if you heal well enough, Jack informed Reno. "I live in the hills, it's a short drive, so I'll come and get you when you're ready to be released."

Jack paused for a moment, then continued. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?" he asked him. "Anything...out of the ordinary you've noticed, since you found yourself here?" He groaned inwardly, realizing the absurdity of his question; the entire situation itself, was out of the ordinary.

"I saw a man, dark tan skin, dark eyes. . about your height with broad shoulders. If I had a pen an' a pad, I could probably sketch him, I'm pretty good at it." To be honest Reno was a pretty good sketch artist, and it didn't take him all that long to get it done once Jurgen passed him the small pad he had and his pen. The guy had faintly arabic features, though his nose was crooked as if it had been broken a few times, the detail not one many would have remembered, and Reno had done well to do so. Still, as he finished and set the pad down, he couldn't help but look out the window, a sudden sharp pang of homesickness overwhelming him for a moment. He let out a shuddering breath. He wasn't going to let down his guard enough to cry in front of these people, no matter how badly it hurt right now to have been drug here.

Damn, that face looks familiar...Jack thought, as Reno's hand moved quickly over the paper, sketching out a rough portrait of that man he'd seen. He couldn't place a name to the face, not just yet, but it would come soon, Jack was sure. He would have Chloe scan it and run it through the facial recognition software anyway, and hope for a possible match. It was not much to go on, but it was a start.

"Thank you," Jack said quietly and gratefully to Reno, as he took the completed sketch from him. "This is really good...you obviously have a good eye and memory for detail...I think this will help us a lot."

"Jack. . .? I wanted to say thanks, yo. . .for carin' enough to wanna make sure I had a place and didn't end up on th'streets. It means a lot." The words weren't ones he'd imagined saying in any language, but he had never thought a stranger would give enough of a shit about him to keep him from dying, particularly one that had about kicked his ass when they'd first met. The tendency for people not to give a shit about anyone but themselves and their own had made him pretty jaded, considering he'd spent most of his adolescence on the street, and to be pleasantly surprised that someone had tried had touched him, though he wasn't going to outright admit it.

When Reno thanked Jack for his kindness, the CTU agent suddenly felt self-conscious, and merely shrugged it off. "It's nothing," Jack insisted, though he couldn't deny that he felt some strange pull toward Reno, and he couldn't explain why he felt that way, either.

After Jurgen left for lunch and came back up with the laptop, he dove right into the English lessons, only to have Chloe come back up with Jack a while later to find him with his head laying over the open keyboard and the screen dark, the speakers still sounding out the words in English as his twitching fingers hit the buttons of the trackpad and made the program continue to run. "That should not make me want to pull out my phone and snap a photo as much as it does. That is almost insanely adorable, and a bit sad too. He's putting a lot of work into trying to fit in. And I have an odd feeling, Jack, a lot of it is because he likes you." Jack rolled his eyes at Chloe's ribbing and teasing, but her words made him think for a moment. No, Jack told himself. Reno's only trying to assimilate...nothing more, nothing less. Gotta admire his dedication, too...

 

Chapter 3  
Summary:

Reno continues to recuperate at Jack's house, and the two discover an undeniable attraction to each other. Warnings for this chapter: herm, lemon/slash

 

Three days passed before Reno was released and allowed to leave the hospital, his first act was to yank the leads from his chest and push himself to his feet. He would walk out under his own power, smart or not, and get out to the car by himself. He had seen the decorations going up during his days in the hospital, though he didn't understand any of it. Jack was going to have fun trying to explain it to Reno, who had never celebrated Christmas, the closest they came on his world was Solstice, and the legends and traditions were much different than they were on Earth for Christmas. He watched the people walking up and down the hallway, the music coming from the speakers drawing a curious expression as well.

When he got into the car, he set his hand on the window and watched the scenery go by. He'd learned enough English over the time he'd been in the hospital, though it was broken and stilted, to say to Jack "I want to leave." and make himself understood. It had frustrated him to no end to not be able to communicate, and he was glad that was no longer true, at the very least. "Gonna make something from home when we get there, if you got the ingredients for it, or anything like." he murmured. "I may not be able to get home, but damned if I am not gonna try to bring a little bit of home here."

He was still a bit nervous, as close as he was beginning to feel to Jack, and he was, he didn't know him well enough to fully trust him quite yet, but it would come. As they got to Jack's place and got out, and inside, the first thing he saw were the photos. .. of him and Teri, and him and Kim. . .and Reno began to feel distinctly like an interloper into the life of a man who belonged very much to someone else.

"It's not much, but it's home," Jack told Reno, almost apologetically, as he ushered Reno into the small, one-bedroom bungalow he'd recently purchased. He'd only moved in two months prior, after Teri died. Jack had sold the home he'd once shared with his wife and daughter, feeling as if he could see her face, or hear her voice, every time he turned a corner. Now, in a smaller home, he was slowly adjusting to his new singlehood. Though Kim would stay overnight at her father's place on rare occasions, it would be odd to have a semi-permanent houseguest once again; Jack had been turning into a bit of a hermit in his new home, and was growing used to his solitude.

Reno seemed to shuffle about a bit nervously as Jack led him to the master bedroom. "You can have my bed, Reno," he told him. "I'll be fine on the couch. There's blankets and things in the closet here," Jack said, indicating the small linen closet outside in the hallway.

"Uh...I'm not much of a chef, but I'll try to scare something up for dinner for us if you're hungry," he said with a small smile at Reno. "My daughter would be horrified at my cooking methods, but I usually can manage to get something fairly edible on the plate," Jack said with a dry chuckle. He put a hand on Reno's shoulder before turning away, and headed toward the kitchen.

That made him feel yet more awkward, but he knew Jack was being polite, and saying no, even if he'd like to, would be impolite. He did trail out to the kitchen behind him though, and told him "I'm a pretty decent cook, if ya don't mind cleaning up the explosion in your kitchen afterward. I'm messy, but Rude, he's my partner, has said it's pretty good, even if it is messy." He smiled, just a little, as he went into the cabinets to get pans out. "Just trust, me, k?" He saw the tree sitting in the living room, and as he began to get ingredients out he asked "I wanted to ask you this when I came in, but I was tryin' to figure all of it out myself. Who's the chick? I mean, I had the blond one pegged for bein' your daughter, but the other one. . " he shook his head, he already felt as if he were intruding, but his curiosity was getting the better of him.

The scents of frying chicken and vegetables and other delectable things floated through the house as he got to work, true to his word it was messy, but it all smelled so fantastic, the mess would to most be forgivable. Reno's movements around the kitchen were sure and quick, very few people knew that he enjoyed cooking, that it was one of the things that relaxed him more than anything else in the world, as the words of a soft Solstice carol came from him in a haunting and sweet tenor that was very rarely heard. He closed his eyes as he pulled the last of the pots off the stove, still singing.

Shiva, may you scatter your blessings upon us. . .let them fall upon us as the snow falls and coats the fields, while your creatures sleep deep under their blankets of white. . .your breast may be cold, but you remind us of the peace that the winter brings. The old Cetran carol was one he'd learned from his mother, many years ago, and he'd never forgotten it. Singing it made him think of her, and though it stung a bit, it was a good sting, reminding him that he was indeed still alive, despite everything that life had tried to throw at him.

Jack was surprised but grateful with Reno's offer to cook dinner. "Sure...let me just, ah...show you where everything is." He led Reno into the small galley kitchen, and showed him where the pots and pans and utensils were. "Ah...I haven't been home much lately," Jack explained as he opened the refrigerator. "Still, I don't think anything is spoiled," he muttered as he took a quick inventory of the contents within. "If you can make something out of that mess," he told Reno with a grin, "you have my undying gratitude. And no, I don't mind doing the dishes afterwards...so long as someone else is doing the cooking."

A tired sigh came forth as Reno asked about the female in the framed photos displayed about Jack's home; and it was only natural that someone would ask, Jack figured. The subject of Teri was a painful one, the wound still fresh, as well as the guilt Jack still felt over her death. It hadn't been his fault, not directly, but having slept with the woman who was ultimately responsible for Teri's death...that was something for which Jack would never forgive himself.

"That...was Teri," Jack said quietly, as Reno asked about the photos. "She was my wife. She...died." He stopped there, giving Reno a look that said I don't want to talk about it right now. It would probably be easier explaining Christmas to Reno, Jack reasoned.

"I suppose you're wondering about the tree," Jack said to Reno as he bustled about the kitchen prepping the food. "I saw you staring at it before. It's...kind of ugly, I know," he added with a laugh. The slightly crooked, silver and white artificial tree had been purchased at a fire sale, and Jack had been given a lot of grief by Kim for it. Both Kim and Teri had always insisted on getting a real Christmas tree, and that was the one tradition that Jack couldn't bring himself to continue since the death of Teri, the whole routine of selecting and tagging a tree, then all of them going together to cut it down and dragging it home.

"Not sure if you have anything like Christmas or Yule where you come from," Jack went on, "but the tree is a part of that tradition, I guess." He got that faraway look in his eyes again, and sighed. "Not that tradition means much of anything to me anymore, now that I'm alone."

Reno knew when he was stepping on delicate territory, and when not to press. He thought to himself how he'd feel if Tseng, Rude, or Rufus died, and how he'd felt when he'd thought he'd lost Tseng and Rufus both, and just looked up at Jack with a sympathetic expression. "That sucks, man. . .I'm sorry. But ya know what. Ya ain't alone now. I mean. . .not really. I may not be much more than some rag tag tagalong ya had the misfortune to have ta take in because I had nowhere else to go, but it's somethin', right?" he shook his head, and sat, setting plates in front of them. "Nah, we have what they call Solstice back home, Shiva's Day, but it's different, I think."

He looks up at the ceiling before looking back down, tucking into his food with an almost distracted air. "I'd love to hear about it though. . an' maybe I'll go with you to find a tree, get rid of that thing, because to tell you the truth? That fucker is dog ugly, I wouldn't give it to my worst enemy." He could almost hear the don't bag on my tree before it was even said, but he couldn't help the smile that came to his mouth. It felt good just to spend time with Jack after everything they had been through, to just enjoy each other's company.

"That carol? Momma taught me it. . .a long time ago." he looked down, shaking his head. "I miss her too, like you miss your wife. It sucks losing people you care about, but all you can do? Is get through it, right? Push through it an' get past it, 'cause they wouldn't want you to just give in an' die."

"Thank you," Jack murmured as he poured wine for them both, setting the glasses on the dining room table. "No, I guess I'm not alone right now, you're right about that," he said quietly, sighing as he sipped his wine, and leaned back in his chair. "Kim...that's my daughter...she's been after me to start dating again. Says I'm getting too cranky and set in my ways. I told her...that has nothing to do with being single, it has to do with me growing old." He laughed, despite the truth behind the statement. Reno's mere presence was helping Jack to feel relaxed at ease, something he hadn't felt in quite some time.

"By the way," I happen to like that tree," Jack said, snorting a laugh. "What the hell's wrong with it, really? And so what if it's not green, I like how it looks, like it's covered with snow. And it's leaning funny because I forgot to prop a brick up under the tree stand, the floor is uneven. You're laughing at me...oh, fine."

 

Jack chuckled, then turned his attention back to the food that Reno had prepared. "You are a damned good cook," Jack told him appreciatively. "You sing very well, too, Reno. So, tell me - is there anything you can't do?" An amused smirk played across Jack's lips as he flirted with the redhead, not even realizing he was doing it.

"I suck at cleaning." he laughed, the answer completely straight forward. And it was the truth, he did suck at cleaning. "I'm also too damn mouthy for my own good sometimes, trust me, it's gotten me in trouble before." He looked Jack in the eye, and then away, he was still a bit shy around him, and he wasn't certain why, except that his body was heavily scarred and he wasn't sure if Jack would accept him with that. oh, who are you kidding? He probably won't anyway because you're the wrong gender for him. He seems to like chicks, if the fact that he was married to one is any indicator. Why be shy around him when he's not gonna want you more than likely anyway?

He finished his own food, and yawned, suddenly realizing how tired he still was after all of it. Reno really didn't want to try to figure it out, because he wasn't sure whether his crush on the CTU agent was really something he should pursue, or something he just felt because he was grateful the man had saved his life. "Thanks for the compliment, by the way. Learned most of how to cook and make due with whatever you could find from Momma, she was good with that. Where I lived when I was a kid, ya didn't have a whole lot of choice, it was make due or starve." It was the first time he'd said anything that could reveal something about himself that was actually deeply personal, there was a lot more beneath it, but he wouldn't say it. Not yet.

Jack would find out other ways, though, as Reno went to take a nap on the sofa after dinner. The pain meds made him sleepy, always had, and that sleepiness had triggered him to do so. But even in a medicated sleep, unless it was medicated to the point of being nearly comatose, the nightmares came calling around this time of year, and he would discover that when Reno began thrashing.

Jack laughed at Reno's remarks, and nodded. "I get that a lot too...about being mouthy. Mostly from my daughter, and a few of my co-workers. Still, I get my job done, even if some of my techniques are a bit...unconventional." He cleared the dishes from the table, telling Reno to get some rest while he did the dishes, and thanked him for cooking. Jack whistled as he loaded the dishwasher, contemplating on the redhead who was now nodding off to sleep on the sofa. He was attractive - almost exotic looking, there was no doubt about that, Jack thought. It shocked him a bit, to find himself crushing a bit on another man, not that he hadn't had felt such attractions before - it was more that he'd never acted upon them.

A groan from the living room drew Jack's attention, and he went out to the living room to check on his guest, thinking he might need a blanket or something covering him. He looked concerned as he saw Reno thrashing about, looking as if he were trying to fight off imaginary assailants in his sleep. "Shit," Jack muttered. "Nightmare...not sure if I should wake him...he might deck me..." As Reno flailed, one of his arms hit against a floor lamp behind him; Jack moved quickly to prevent the object from crashing to the floor, righting it. Reno's face was a mask of terror, Jack decided he'd better try to wake him, before the nightmare got worse.

"Momma, Momma he's hurting me! Make him stop!" the words came out in a shaking voice as a scream began to build deep in his chest, the sound beginning as a rumble, the sound a warning, as he shot straight upright, his flailing fist catching Jack across the chin before he clutched onto the man like a lifeline, body shaking, the scream ringing out into the room before dying down. He was half-awake at best, and if he was confronted with the nightmare when he woke completely he was likely to deny it. He hated being seen as weak, and tended to bury things and hide from them because to talk to someone about them made him look like he couldn't handle it.

Jack's stomach clenched as he heard Reno shouting out in his sleep; clearly, the man was reliving some horrid episode from his past, in his dream. Even with that knowledge. Jack was much taken by surprise when Reno's fist flew out, clocking him in the chin. "Damn it!" he shouted, gripping Reno by the shoulders as he pulled him off. The anger flared in Jack, but he held back, knowing that the punch was by no means intentional.

"Reno, wake up, damn it - you're dreaming!" Jack snapped, sounding a bit more irritated than he'd intended, though Reno probably hadn't even heard him anyway. As the terrified man clung desperately to Jack, the CTU agent's arms drew Reno in, hugging him - almost automatically. Though Reno would push him away out of embarrassment as soon as he came out of the nightmare, Jack couldn't deny the effect that the mysterious redhead was having on him. His face was flushed, his pulse was racing, and there was no ignoring the bulge he felt growing in his pants.

Aqua eyes were still wide and unseeing, breath coming in shuddery gasps as the dream refused to entirely let loose for several long moments until they finally cleared, and the room began to slowly come into focus around him, and he realized he was clinging to Jack like a vine. He drew back, his face going bright red, then spotted the slowly forming bruise on Jack's chin, and his face went even more red. "Was that me?" he asked, as his fingers very gently measured it, his expression almost guilty as well as embarrassed. "Didn't realize I did that, m'sorry."

 

Reno felt awful he'd decked Jack, and thoroughly embarrassed that he'd gotten caught having one of his nightmares as well, there were things he'd never talked about with anyone, and his coworkers had been wise enough not to question him even when they did catch him. "I'll try ta be more careful, I really feel bad about it."

Jack let out a small groan as he sat next to Reno on the couch, suddenly feeling very self-conscious due to his unexpected and burgeoning desire for Reno. "You okay?" he asked in a soft murmur. "Bad dream, huh," he commented dumbly. "I...really need to take a cold shower, if you think you'll be okay? Maybe you should have a glass of wine...though maybe that's not such a good idea if you're still taking those painkillers..."

Jesus, I just said out loud that I need to take a cold shower, Jack realized as he headed toward the bathroom, groaning inwardly. Way to be fucking obvious that I'm crushing on the guy. He finally had to admit it, if only to himself; Jack was growing very attracted to Reno, and it had quite taken him by surprise.

"Y-yeah." Reno groaned out loud at the way he'd stuttered, it was massively embarrassing, and he hated it, but for the moment there was little else he could do. He was shaken up, which would not be too much of a surprise considering what he'd experienced in his sleep. "I'll be ok, go ahead and get your shower." he leaned back on the sofa trying to get his head back together, stilling his shaking and closing his eyes. Dammit, I can't believe I had that nightmare for the first time in a year, and in front of a stranger, no less. . .even if it's a stranger I'd like to. . .oh crap, I can't think like that, gotta stop thinking with my dick.

He was a bit nervous that Jack would start asking questions he wasn't sure how to answer or was even comfortable thinking about the answers to. There were dark corridors his mind didn't like traveling, he hated looking weak, or damaged, and the things those nightmares were about could not help but damage someone. Still, he shut those thoughts away, and started thinking more pleasant ones, like how warm Jack had been how good he had smelled, how strong his arms were, and by the time the sounds of Jack relieving his own tension leaked out into the living room he was more than a little worked up himself.

His hand traveled down into his pants as he began to pleasure himself to the sounds of the man he wanted to have doing the same to himself in the shower, a soft moan slipping free as he imagined Jack's' mouth wrapped around him as his hand was now, his face tinting a bit pink. He didn't even hear when the bathroom door opened again.

Jack finished his shower and cut the water, rubbing his eyes. He couldn't believe he'd gotten that carried away in there, and prayed he hadn't been heard. He had to get it out of his system somehow though, this unexpected, pent-up lust he was feeling toward Reno. And what better way to do that, than to jerk off in the shower, he thought wryly. God, have I no shame? Jack chastised himself.

He emerged from the steam-filled bathroom, intending to head down the small hallway directly to his bedroom, to change into some clean clothing. Instead, he became distracted by a moan heard from the living room. Shit...hope he's not having another nightmare, Jack thought, worried.

Reno, can I get you anything - " Jack began as he stepped out into the living room, clad only in the bath towel that was wrapped loosely around his waist. His voice trailed off as his eyes roamed over Reno lying on the couch, who was moaning softly as his hand roamed about inside his pants.

"Sorry," Jack whispered awkwardly, backing out of the room slowly, hoping to get away unseen. He wasn't angry with Reno, not by any means; hell, hadn't he been doing the same thing himself? He wondered, briefly, if Reno had been entertaining some of the same carnal thoughts he'd been thinking. Don't be ridiculous, Jack told himself scornfully.

Jack didn't even feel the bump in the carpeting as he tried to sneak out of the living room; it didn't cause him to fall, but it threw him slightly off balance. The towel began to slip from his waist, and Jack scrambled to retrieve it. "Shit!" he muttered quietly, as the towel slid down his naked body.

Reno's face went even brighter red, but then he noticed the tent behind the towel that was beginning to fall, and he grinned, snaking out one hand fast to encourage it to fall faster, the soft thud of the towel hitting the floor lost on his ears almost as he pulled Jack close, taking the chance. If he was wrong, he might have to find a new place to live, it was a huge risk, and he knew it, but if he was right. . .the rewards were huge, and in his eyes they were worth the risk. "I want you. . ." he murmured. "And I think you want me to, if what's under that towel is anything at all to go by." The jaw drop didn't bother him, he had a feeling he'd stunned the man, but that raw sexuality was just his way and always had been.

 

He leaned in and seized Jack's lips with his own, body flush against his, and a soft moan slipped from his lips. The man tasted spectacular, a musky and wild flavor that was exclusively his, and Reno felt like chasing it around with his lips and tongue until he'd figured out completely what it was, because damned if it wasn't something he could hold forever. There were no more words, just bodies lining up in sync and hearts pounding in time and sheer lust in the air. "Try to tell me you don't want me like I want you, I know you'd be fuckin' lyin'. . ." his eyes were hazy with desire when they met Jack's.

"I know better than that." and he crooked a slight grin before diving in for another kiss, hand reaching down to feel what it is he could find.

"Jesus..." Jack murmured breathlessly as the towel fell, exposing his arousal fully; there was no denying it now. "Did you - hear me in there?" he muttered, but the question was never answered, Reno had pulled Jack down, claiming his lips in a hungry kiss. A soft moan slipped out as Jack allowed himself to be pulled down onto the sofa, forgetting momentarily that Reno had been injured just days ago.

"No, I can't deny it," Jack said, as they broke the kiss. "I think I've wanted you ever since you were brought into interrogation. I just...it took me by surprise, I guess," he added, not wanting to share that this was the first time he'd ever acted on such an attraction toward another male. No, right now was not the time for that particular confession, though if things progressed the way they seemed to be, the topic might come up eventually.

He straddled Reno on the couch, moaning into the redhead's open mouth as he felt a hand enclose upon his shaft, stroking it. "Fuck," Jack muttered, his tongue parting Reno's lips as he dove in for another bruising kiss, not giving another thought to his inexperience with other men, he was starting to not care very much about that small point. This felt good, Reno felt good, and it had been too long since Jack had felt the touch of another.

Reno would have no problem showing him, though a sudden wave of shyness nearly overcame him. He was severely scarred from both the explosion as well as multiple other mishaps that were part and parcel of his career. He wasn't sure what Jack would think of it. Though it didn't make him want this any less, not at all. He closed his eyes as he ground down on him, the scent surrounding them musk blended with an almost honey-floral scent. "I know I'm a little overdressed for this, but. . ." he looked down, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip. "I want you to promise me, no matter what, you won't flip out."

He'd gotten hung up in the physical attraction and he totally not given thought to what Jack might think of what he would find when he got underneath the clothing on the slim body. But he wasn't going to let the nervousness of it bother him, not now. This man was one he was attracted to, but more. . .he'd taken him into his home, allowed him to be here, even if he had no real reason to trust him, and that meant something to Reno, on top of the fact that he himself had not had sex in a good while, even now.

Reno slowly began to draw his clothes off, and lead Jack back toward the bedroom, laying back on the bed and letting him see everything, from the slim throat, to the slender and muscular arms, the chest and belly with scar tissue that was more pink, those from where he'd been hit by debris from the explosion, and fish-belly white, older scars from his lifetime as a Turk. . .one in particular across his belly from hip to hip looking like a massive and ugly C-section scar almost, and another, in the shape of a large blade, under his ribs on the left hand side.

There was not much in the world that would shake Jack Bauer up; he'd pretty much seen it all during his military career, and then as a CTU agent. He couldn't help it though; he drew in a small, sharp intake of breath as Reno revealed the mass of scars along his abdomen. Like a bad science experiment, was the first impression to come to Jack's mind. He didn't know it yet, but his first impression would be damned close to the reality of what Reno had actually been through.

"Someone did this to you," Jack breathed, running a finger along the largest of the scars. It was a statement of observation, not an accusation, and Jack felt a further pang of empathy for Reno. Clearly he'd been through some kind of hell in his past, and here he was, light years from the place he called home. If 'home' even existed anywhere in reality, though Jack didn't want to think about that right now, it was too much for either of them to make sense of just yet.

His eye caught something as he positioned himself over Reno, placing his hands on either side of his shoulders as he leaned down, kissing him. Jack pulled back a bit, and did a bit of a double take, gently parting Reno's knees slightly as he stared. That's...no, that can't be possible...is he really...like that? The questions were forming in Jack's mind one after the other, he didn't want to voice them out loud just yet; he didn't want to come across as offensive, but his curiosity - and lust for Reno - was getting the best of him.

There was nothing quite like being direct, though, Jack decided, nervously sliding his hand in between Reno's legs as he whispered softly in his ear. "I...god, it's been a long time for me...and let's just say, this is the first time I've met someone...like you. If you want me to stop," Jack added, his thumb stroking Reno's phallus, as his remaining fingers plunged within, "just say the word."

The gentle exploration, the acceptance, made him smile, just a bit. "You remember I talked about Hojo? Well, some of this is fucking handiwork. . .the scar under my ribs was from a big fucking sword, I pissed someone off I was better off leavin' alone, but at the time I wasn't given a choice." He shuddered through his whole body at the prodding fingers sliding into him, no one had ever touched there before, he'd really tried for the most part to forget it was there, but it sent a blast of sensation up his nerves, making him shudder hard. "Oh. ..oh fuck me, what was that?" He had no idea what Jack had just touched but it had made his whole body light up.

"Ngn!" The monosyllabic utterance was his only response to the second touch that about blew him away, his cheeks flushing brilliant red. "Never had anyone touch that, holy shit. . ." He couldn't believe he'd just told Jack that that place was virgin, but it was a distant disbelief at the moment. "D-don't stop, whatever you do, don't stop." Possible consequences were far from his mind, after all, chances are it wouldn't work the way Hojo had intended anyway, after all, weren't menstrual cycles supposed to be part and parcel of the whole thing? He hadn't bled out of there once since the mad doctor had had his way with him, so he figured he was pretty much safe.

 

The sensation was strong, and instead of being centered just between his legs it seemed to spread through his whole body and make all of his muscles tense and throb, but it was a good throb. He was trembling, his eyes closing as he clung to Jack. "You're worth a million fuckin' gil, yo. Most people would see this an' freak out, that you didn't means a fuck ton."

It was strange, Jack thought, but the realization that Reno was not one-hundred percent male didn't put him off; in fact, it oddly put him at ease. Initially, he'd been wrapping his mind around the fact that he was jerking off in the shower because of the man taking up temporary residence on his sofa; now, with the revelation that there was more to Reno than met the eye, that knowledge only served to further excite Jack.

"Never been touched there, huh?" Jack murmured as he snaked his fingers in further, crooking his middle finger back up toward the front of Reno's pelvis. Hell, he had no idea if someone equipped the way Reno was even had a G-spot, but he figured there was no harm in trying to find out.

"I never would have predicted any of this happening...several days ago when I met you," Jack whispered, kissing Reno as he worked his fingers further in. The reaction he was getting from Reno was more than favorable, judging from the sounds coming out of him. "And I'm not about to stop, I want you. Tell me...tell me what youwant, Reno. Because I ...well, this is kind of a first for me."

Jack frowned for a moment as he suddenly considered something. "I don't mean to kill the mood, but...ah...you...can't get pregnant, can you?"

"I don't think so." His words came out a soft pant. What Jack was doing to him felt incredible, he didn't want it to stop for anything in the world. "Take me." he whispered, and pulled Jack on top of him. His whole body was humming with the sensations, he wanted this, but more. . .he wanted Jack, in his bed, but more. . .and he didn't understand it. so fast. . .so fierce. Where are these emotions coming from? I've never fallen this hard or fast before, it's fucked up, but I wouldn't change it. He gasped out as white lights exploded behind his eye lids, body arching up as he made a keening noise. He could feel himself teetering on the brink.

"Oh. . oh sweet Shiva. . " if Jack didn't fuck him soon he swore he would lose his damn mind, the feelings coursing through him were that intense, he needed to be finished. "I'm pretty sure it's not gonna work the way he intended, this thing has never bled even once, thanks. Now just fuck me already before I lose my fucking mind." He bucked his hips up into Jack, trying to encourage him to go ahead and break that barrier and do him already now. Reno was more than capable of being demanding when he was horny, and Jack had managed to get him just that.

His legs wrapped around the lean waist to encourage a deflowering. "Gods fuck, if I'd known it was gonna feel this good I'd a used those parts a long fucking time ago." Red hair spread out across the back of the sofa as his head tilted back, his face tinged pink with lust.

"Fuck, Reno," Jack blurted in a hoarse cry; the utterance was met with a smart-assed remark from Reno. Jack grinned. "I'm ready if you are," he murmured, suddenly realizing how redundant the remark was - Reno was doing everything short of flipping Jack on his back and riding him, so worked up was he.

Any thoughts of running into the bathroom to search for his box of condoms - which were probably expired by now from non-use - quickly disappeared from Jack's mind as Reno pulled him down, demanding to be penetrated, now. The blood roared in his ears, his pulse pounding, Jack felt alive for the first time in so long, he needed this, needed Reno, even more than he'd realized.

Jack entered Reno slowly, not wanting to hurt him too badly, knowing this was the first time Reno had been taken in this fashion. As Reno's legs wrapped around him, drawing him in deeper, Jack quickened his pace, pulling out of Reno slightly as he thrust into him yet harder.

"Holy fuck...you're tight," Jack muttered dumbly, the sweat dripping from his forehead as he entered Reno again, and again. As he looked down at his newfound lover, hair splayed all over the pillow like some sort of sea nymph, something came undone inside of Jack, something he couldn't even put a name to or explain. He knew, though, that he felt something for this man, something beyond raw lust, and if it ever came down to it, he would lay down his life for him.

Reno's hips rolled, body moving almost on autopilot as his own blood roared through his veins, the sound of it in his ears as he started shaking, passion sweeping through him like a flood. Reno had never felt emotions like this, like what he was feeling as this man fucked him into oblivion. It wasn't just lust, there was a burgeoning trust there, and other indefinable emotions he wasn't sure he had names for yet, and he wasn't sure he wanted to give them names even once he didn't have them. "J-jack. . ." he spoke the name on a stutter, his eyes fluttering closed. It was there, dancing on the edges of his awareness like some odd will o'the wisp. The sensation that made his whole body arch and lose control.

He had no idea what was coming, but it didn't really matter. All that did was what he could feel, in the here and now, this surge of desire and need that swamped his mind and rocked his heart, tingeing his skin pink and making him quiver with a moist sheen over his face, sticking the crimson strands to his forehead as his mouth opened, panting gasps and soft moans slipping from between the lust-swollen and reddened lips. He was trembling, clinging to Jack for dear life, though he didn't seem to realize it yet.

Each strike to that place inside, and each stroke of his erect, twitching, and leaking shaft made him rise up higher still, trembling and quivering with a need he'd never felt before. "Oh. . .oh fuck. . ." his emotional resolve not to get involved with anyone here was melting fast, as fast as the ice around his heart and body that had been there since Meteor was.

If anyone had told Jack Bauer a week prior that the following week he'd be making love to a hermaphrodite he'd only just met, he would have laughed at them. Maybe even punched them out. Things were different now, though, and while Jack wasn't sure exactly when his feelings for Reno had intensified, he knew that they had done so one-hundredfold.

Jack grunted in surprise, as Reno rolled him over on his back and straddled him, showing little signs of his injury as he rode hard on Jack. "Oh...fuck..." Jack whispered, grabbing a handful of ass as he pistoned his hips up, slamming into Reno as he felt himself peaking. "Touch yourself," Jack hissed at Reno. "Touch yourself...do it."

All it took was one touch, and his body bent backward into a bow shape, mouth open wide, limbs shuddering, the contractions starting through the opening that was being plunged into so masterfully, seeding spilling all over his hand, all over his belly, all over Jack's belly, as he shook his way through the climax, then collapsed against the other man, not minding one bit the mess getting on him. He didn't realize that his eyes had begun to fill, not that he would have admitted it even if he had, the emotion of the moment beginning to overwhelm him, just the tiniest bit. He held onto him, and felt a bit like an idiot even as he felt Jack fill him up.

Then he got up and headed into the bathroom fast, shutting the door. This had suddenly gotten so awkward, for reasons Reno was not even all that sure of, though most of it was likely because he was on the verge of tears, and he had no idea why, which just made him feel all the more awkward and idiotic. get your ass together, for fuck's sake, Reno. You know you want him, you know you want this, but it happened so fucking fast. . .that's what's making this so fucking hard. He took several deep breaths, trying to get his head back on straight. He didn't want to make Jack get worried that something had happened between them or that he was rejecting him, he wasn't, it just had gotten too intense.  
The sound Jack would hear through the door would be a soft, choked sob then the sound of water running, trying to cover it up. "It isn't you, you know." floated through the closed door. "I just want you to know it's not you."

Jack sighed as he pulled out of Reno, a sigh of pleasured satisfaction escaping his lips. He couldn't stop the grin that was now plastered across his face either, basking in the afterglow as he was. As Reno collapsed against him, Jack pulled him gently to his chest, whispering terms of endearment while stroking his hair. This wasn't like Jack, to fall so quickly, but he was. He wasn't the type to have one-night stands, either, not at this point in his life, anyway. As a younger man he would have done so, but not now. And not with Reno, the truth of the matter was, the displaced redhead had suddenly and unexpectedly captured Jack's heart; just at a point in time where Jack thought he might grow old alone, and becoming somewhat okay with the idea of that.

He felt Reno's body stiffen, and quirked an eyebrow in surprise when his lover abruptly got up and ran to the bathroom, hiding his face. Is he...crying? Jack thought, worried. Fuck...what the hell did we just do? He must...be regretting this, or something. But I don't. I have no regrets at all...he needs to know that.

"Reno," Jack called through the bathroom door, knocking softly. "Reno, please...don't think I regret for one second what just happened, because I don't. I wanted you...I still want you...hey are you okay in there? I'll...be in the bedroom, if you want to talk."

Reno slipped out of the bathroom and plopped himself back down on the bed, red hair hanging in his face and hiding his eyes. "Sorry I took off like that." The apology was a rare thing for the redhead, but he honestly did feel lousy for taking off and making Jack feel like an ass. "I just generally don't well. . ." and his face was tinged pink again, this time in embarrassment. I don't do relationships, and here I am suddenly. . .wanting one, and I don't know how. "I don't do the whole relationship thing generally, what I had with the others, it was kinda more a keeping it in the family thing. But. . .with you I wanna an' it scares the piss outta me."

He looked up at Jack, eyes half-lidded. "I know love ain't supposed to be scary, but this is. . .it's scary as fucking Hell, and I have no idea what the fucking Hell I'm doing, what makes it worse is for once I don't wanna fuck this up, and I have a tendency ta fuck up the things I don't want to fuck up, which is a good part of why I don't normally do relationships." The explanation was a circuitous, he knew, but Reno had a bit of an issue explaining himself all the way with some things.

Jack sighed and nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed as he draped an arm around Reno, trying to comfort him and help put him at ease. He wasn't about to go into his own track record, not yet, anyway. There was no need for Jack to tell Reno at this point how the last woman he'd had an affair with, had been directly responsible for Teri's death.

"Reno...I'll be honest, this is scaring the hell out of me too. It's happened so fast..." He paused, trying to get Reno to look him in the eye. "It's happening fast, yeah, but it feels right, too. I can't really explain what it is that I'm feeling, except I know I don't want it to end. I want you to stay with me...we'll see where this goes." Jack pulled Reno into his side in a gentle embrace, kissing his forehead.

"I won't walk off again I promise, but-" And Reno looked up as the front door opened, seeing the same blond girl as in the photo framed there in the door, her eyes taking in the scene. "Well. . .shit." Is all he says to the expression of disbelief and distaste on her face.

The next thing Jack knew, he was looking up into the disapproving eyes of Kim. "Christ, Kim," he muttered, grabbing a throw blanket in an attempt to cover himself and Reno. "I know I gave you a key, but you know, you could knock once in a while."

 

Chapter 4  
Summary:

Reno and Jack get caught in the act, and are suddenly forced to flee.

 

"It smells like a whorehouse in here, Dad." Kim said very bluntly. "And you're sitting on your bed, nude, with a guy. I mean, I don't have a right to say anything to you about your sex life, but when Chloe said you had moved someone in with you I didn't know you were sleeping with him." She could almost feel the eye roll from the redhead next to her father, but she wasn't commenting on it, she knew better than to get into with any guy that her father would put up with because they were likely as stubborn, opinionated, and determined as he was.

Reno had indeed eye rolled. "Look, I get you not bein' down with me fuckin', well bein' fucked by but let's not quibble semantics, yeah, your dad, but he's got a right to be with whoever he wants." he shook his head, sighing. "I don't know anything about your family situation, not really. I just know I'm beginnin' to fall in love with your father, and I don't wanna lose him." The words were heavily accented with the slums drawl of a Sector Seven native, but understandable. "Ya gotta understand, I don't say shit like this often, but it's true."

She dropped her shoulders, looking almost defeated. Yes, there was some amount of anger that her father had seemingly replaced Teri so soon, but she could hear the catch in Reno's voice, the traces of desperation and loneliness that she could tell he hoped he wouldn't be heard, and her anger melted away. "You hurt my father, I will beat your ass bloody, ok? Just don't do it."

Jack bristled under Kim's interrogatory tone, sticking his chin out stubbornly. He placed a hand on Reno's thin knee, unintentionally staking his claim with that small showing of possessiveness.

"You're right, sweetheart," Jack said evenly, addressing Kim. "My love life is really not any of your business." He glanced sideways at Reno, feeling quite surprised - happily so, as the man confessed what was in his heart.

"Listen, Kim," Jack went on. "I don't mean to be impolite here, but you came at a bad time." Understatement of the year. "Why don't you have a seat in my office. I found some more of those old photos you were looking for...of you and mom," he added, a sad look washing over him momentarily. "They're on my desk, if you want to go through them. We'll be out in a few minutes, I think Reno and I would both like to get some clothes on," Jack said, smiling kindly at Kim.

As she nodded and left the room, Jack turned to Reno, parting his lips with his tongue as he kissed him, thoroughly. "I don't know what it is that you're doing to me, but I cannot get enough of you," he whispered, nibbling gently along Reno's neck and shoulder. Jack realized that if Kim wasn't waiting out there for him, he probably would have taken Reno to his bed yet again; he'd never felt this damned compatible - or insatiable with anyone, not in a very long time at least.

"You know," Jack added, narrowing his eyes mischievously, a sly look upon his face. "It looks like we'll be needing showers..."

Reno snorted at him, chuckling softly. "I'd say yeah, you know I'm always up to that shit, but I'd really like to get off on the right foot with your kid, yo. She seems like a good kid, and she cares about you, an' causin' trouble with your family ain't something I wanna do." His eyes took on a shaded look at the mention of "family". His own family history wasn't the best, and he could see Jack had something good here. He didn't want to screw that up for him, not for anything. The man deserved better. "Come on, let's get dressed an' mingle, yeah? Might as well get to know your kid if we're gonna be spending any amount of time together."

Jack grinned, brushing his lips softly against the crimson tufts of Reno's hair. "Yeah, I know," he said, a bit sheepish. "I'm not that much of an asshole, that I'd be messing around in here while my daughter's waiting for me out there." He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of Reno's hair and skin; it was spicy, redolent and exotic, mingling with the scents of sex that still lingered in the room, so bluntly pointed out by Kim just moments ago. Jack chuckled at that, in spite of himself.

"Let's get ourselves cleaned up and dressed," he told Reno. "And then, I should properly introduce you to my daughter, I think."

Reno did pull Jack in for a deep, lingering kiss, eyes closing a moment as he relished the feel of him. Then he slipped a pair of pants and a shirt on, heading back out to the rest of the house. There was a lot Jack didn't know about him, his family, his past. He had a feeling there would be questions coming that he wasn't sure how to answer or even if he wanted to. But they were ones that would come up, and he knew he'd need to have answers for them when they did. How to explain to him about my family, though? Abusive stepfather, I have no idea who the fuck my father even is.

Kim was flipping through the photo albums, her eyes half open, tears coming to them, but she didn't want to show them. She looked up as arms came around her shoulder, the gesture taking her by surprise as she turned her head, looking up into brilliant teal eyes that gleamed with the glow of Mako. "I never meant for her to die like that. . .and I could never. . .stop feeling like it was my fault Mom died. . .I said I blamed Dad, but deep down. . .I always felt like it was me."

"It wasn't your fault. . .I mean I don't even gotta know the situation to know that, kid." Reno closes his eyes, he knew how it felt to lose one's mother, knew it far too intimately. "It hurts like Hell to lose your Mom, trust me I know. . .I been there, done that. . .but you can't carry that on yourself. You can't. If you do all you'll do is drive yourself nuts, and that ain't gonna help anyone." He hugged her tight for a moment. "I'm not tryin' to take the place of your mom, ok? I'm not. I know it might seem like it, but I just. . .well, I love your dad and that's all there is to it."

Normally Kim would have been angry that someone had caught her in a private moment this way and had been so presumptuous, but she could tell Reno was serious, not trying to be nasty or hurtful or anything of that nature. He'd been through the same things she had, and had come through it stronger, even if the hurt still rose to the surface and haunted him sometimes. "That means a lot. . ." she looked back at him, a smile curving her face. "To know you're not trying to replace Mom, that you just genuinely love Dad. . it means a lot, it helps." and she let out a wry chuckle "even if you are a guy."

Reno chuckled at that. "Listen, family means a shit lot to me, even if it ain't conventional in the least. 'Cause it's not something that's easy to make, or to hold onto." A haunted look crossed his face a moment, but he shoved it away, a smile slipping up onto it again. "You love your dad, ain't a damn thing wrong with that, not at all. You want him protected, ya want him safe. I make a promise to you, though. . .right here. I'm not gonna do anything to hurt your dad, or you. I'll lay my life on th'line for both of you, because you're my family now."

Those words, they may not know how rare it is for Reno to speak them, but they would figure it out soon enough. Family was something that meant the world to him, and if he counted you as family he would do anything he had to do, to keep them safe. Even if it meant his life.

"Kim," Jack began, walking over to his desk where she was sitting. "This...is Reno. Well, I suppose you've already met, really, but anyway..."

"I know what you're probably thinking, Kim," Jack went on. "That this has happened pretty fast, and yeah - it has. It took me by surprise, but the thing is, I'm in love with him." He paused for a moment, trying to read Kim's face to see her reaction.

"You can keep those, Kim," Jack said softly, nodding toward the photo album. "I had copies made, and I put these into the album for you. "I know it hasn't been easy on you...and maybe I haven't been there for you like I should have, but I'm trying to change, I really am." Jack blanched momentarily, wondering if Reno would think he'd always been some kind of asshole to his daughter - and he hadn't been, not intentionally. He'd been distant with Kim ever since Teri died, never meaning to be, and then when he had to go undercover on assignment from CTU, Jack was gone for months, without a word to Kim, he hadn't been allowed to even tell her about the undercover assignment before he left. While it hadn't been his fault, but Jack still felt he had to do a lot of making up for lost time.

"Thanks, Dad. . .by the way, why don't we go all go out to dinner? My treat. There's that new Italian place that opened downtown, they make the best veal Parmesan I have had in a very long time. " Kim was trying to be diplomatic, even though she wasn't sure what to make of the relationship between her Dad and this man. She hadn't expected it at all, but she supposed it wasn't all that crazy, men generally were not quite as breakable as women and after what had happened with Teri he would want someone in his life that there was not quite the risk of losing.

"Ya know, I think I'd like that." Reno smiled at both of them, trying not to act awkward, trying to keep the comfort zone he'd managed to create with her. "Never had that, but if ya say it's good, I trust your judgment on that." He was still trying to get used to the food, and everything else on this new world, but at least he could speak the language well enough to be understood now. "Ya know. . .I'm not sure what to even make of alla this. I'm not even sure how I got here, I mean I was movin' some of this mad scientist's old shit, but how it brought me here, I got no clue, none."

His body went tense, he could feel someone's eyes on him, though he wasn't sure whose, but the feeling went away after a while, so he let himself relax again, shaking his head. "I guess we might as well do this, huh?"

"Dinner does sound good," Jack said with a grateful smile toward Kim, happy that she seemed to be accepting of his relationship with Reno - so far, anyway. "Maybe tomorrow night, Kim? We ate dinner earlier...Reno, as it turns out, is a pretty good cook," he added, with a grin toward the redhead.

Jack frowned, noticing Reno's sudden faraway look, and the tension in his body. Something seemed off, but Jack wasn't sure what. "You okay?" he asked Reno quietly. "Looked like you went somewhere for a minute, there."

"Someone was out there." Reno's senses were ringing off the hook. He'd spotted someone outside, watching the house, and it had set him on high alert. He was a Turk, and in his experience when someone was watching and didn't come to them, it was not good news, at all. "I don't know who, but I ain't comfortable with someone bein' out there like that when they don't show themselves." His body was still tense as he scanned the area he'd seen them in to see if he still saw them or if it had just been his imagination.

Kim looked from one to the other, trusting her Dad's judgment; she nodded to him silently to check it out. She didn't realize that the Arabic oil producers had already discovered Reno was here, and were determined to keep the US out of the summit, kidnapping the one that the president had brought into the country in order to keep the initiative that was planned from happening would be a coup, and more than one Middle Eastern country knew that. Of course, the fact that Jack Bauer was his protector would make things difficult, they knew this, but the ones that had come were confident they could do so if they were careful enough.

In a flash, Jack was by the window, pulling back the curtains, peering out. He didn't see anyone, but believed Reno when he said he'd seen someone watching from outside.

"Who was it, Reno?" Jack said hoarsely, already reaching for his duty weapon. "Did you recognize them?" He was starting to realize that someone - or perhaps several someones - were after Reno, but why? Jack's wheels turned, and suddenly clicked.

"That explosion," Jack went on. "I know...that it's pretty much the first thing you remember, so what I'm about to suggest doesn't exactly make sense, but...what if it was intentional?" As Reno and Kim looked at him somewhat blankly, Jack shook his head and continued.

"What if," he theorized, "someone on this side knew you were coming through...and was trying to stop that from happening?" As soon as Jack said the words, he realized how crazy it sounded, but he had to throw it out there, even if it was a remote possibility.

"I didn't, no, but they looked a lot like the bastard that was at CTU when it blew up." the redhead was extremely on edge, which likely would not be a whole lot of a shock. Someone had yanked him into an unfamiliar world, then had tried to blow him up and that was something he wasn't having an easy time coming to terms with. And what Jack said next made his eyes narrow. "That makes a shit ton of sense." His body relaxed when the sense of being watched faded. He still wasn't sure just what had happened, why the unease, but he supposed it didn't much matter. Whoever it had been, was gone…or so he thought.

"Dad. . .maybe we should go stay at the old house? I mean, if we really think there was someone there, they might come back. . .and that's the last thing we need. Especially if someone is after him, right?" Kim was being as sensible as she possibly could be, and she picked up her purse and the album in preparation to move just as a limo pulled up in front of the house. "Dad. . .I think it's either the President or Wayne. . that's a presidential car. I wonder what's going on? He normally doesn't come here unless it's some kind of important circumstance." That was something Kim knew from experience, President Palmer almost never called on her father or came to them unless he truly needed them.

"Jack. ..m'not sure I like this, that you get an important visitor so shortly after I get here. Somethin' about this strikes me fucked up an' funny, an' I ain't sure what, not yet. Do you trust this guy? I suppose that's th'main question, yeah? If you trust him, I will too, just feels kinda fucked up."

"I trust David Palmer," Jack replied simply. "The president," he added, explaining to Reno. "Wayne is his brother." Jack had, of course, a wonderful rapport with David, and a decent one with Wayne; still, there was something about the younger Palmer brother where Jack couldn't bring himself to say out loud that he completely trust the man. Too ambitious, Jack thought absently. That's not to say the president isn't ambitious himself, but there's something about Wayne that's a bit more...cut-throat.

"Let me see what Wayne wants first, Kim," Jack told his daughter. "I've gotta say, this is unexpected," he muttered, as he went to answer the door. Opening it, he saw Wayne there, flanked by a pair of bodyguards. Standard procedure, for the president's brother to be well guarded - and Jack knew that. Still, he felt a bit of tension coming from Wayne, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Wayne," Jack said, shaking his hand. "Good to see you. What can I do for you? Does the president need something?" He ushered him into his home, along with the guards, and shut the door.

"I'll explain as much as I can in just a moment," Wayne replied cryptically. "Good to see you again, Kim," he said, nodding at her. Wayne glanced curiously at Reno, eyeing him up and down. "I'm Wayne Palmer," he said, extending his hand. "I assume you must be - "

"This is Reno," Jack cut in, introducing the two men. "He's been my...houseguest, since he was taken in at CTU. I trust both you and the president read my report regarding the explosion?"

"We have," Wayne replied. "Any further leads on that, Jack?"

"Not yet," Jack replied, not wanting to share with Wayne - yet - his suspicions that the explosion might have been intentional. "I have to say, I'm surprised to see you show up here in the presidential limo, with no warning."

"Yes, well," Wayne began, clearing his throat. "David did send me on his behalf. Now, I can't get into the details right now, time is of the essence, but David will gladly debrief you when you arrive."

"Arrive where?" Jack cut in, his eyes narrowing slightly. He exchanged a glance with Reno, neither of them seemed to know what to make of this, but both were on edge.

"To the White House," Wayne replied. "I am to escort both you and your...guest, back to D.C. There's a private jet waiting at LAX to take us back."

Jack said nothing right away, but digested this for a moment. "I realize he's a busy man, but I'd like to speak with the President myself before we go. What's this all about, Wayne?"

Reno shook Wayne's hand, but like Jack, something about the man set him ill at ease. "Look, I'm not sure what you're here about, but yeah, I'd like to hear from whoever sent you." The thick Midgar Slums accent colored his speech, even as he peered the black man in the eye. "I got no issue comin' with you if Jack comes with us, but I wanna be sure this is somethin' on the up an' up, if ya know what I mean." He was reminded sharply of Rude in the look in the man's eye, which sent a shot of pain filled longing through him, not that he would admit to that.

Of course, what David had in mind wouldn't work the way that he thought it would. Earth's Gaia, or energy field, was not reachable or refineable in the way the Lifestream had been back on Reno's world, as instead of being one mass, it was split up into small chunks of life essence, without the interconnectedness that Gaia had about its own well of prana. Another thing which set Reno ill at ease a bit, as he was not accustomed to people being so, to put it in laymen's terms, self-contained. Not that he even realized that being aware of that wasn't normal.

"Call him. I wanna know what the Hell is goin' on before I leave here. At least some small run down. I ain' averse ta helpin' a person if I got at least a loose idea o'what's goin' on. I just don't like the idea o'bein' out on a limb. As I'm sure you can understand, right?" He gave Wayne one of those looks that said about everything, all that he figured needed to be.

"Nice to see you too." Kim gave Wayne a slight smile. It had been a long while since she had seen him, and she actually liked him, when he wasn't acting like an overly ambitious turd. Unfortunately that was how he acted more often than not.

"Look Wayne," Jack spoke plainly, addressing the president's brother; there was no point in beating around the bush at this point, and that wasn't Jack's style, anyway. "Reno's only been out of the hospital a few days now, and during that time has been working on learning our language...he's done remarkably well at picking it up, actually." Jack couldn't help but look at Reno a bit admiringly at that; the redhead had adjusted rather quickly, which was impressive given that Reno was from another worldaltogether. He gave Reno a quick smile before continuing with Wayne.

"You know I respect your brother, Wayne," Jack went on. "And I trust his judgment. Still, I'd prefer to speak with him at some point before we leave. I'm guessing it's something pretty serious if he sent you all the way out here, and I'm really curious as to what the president wants with my - ah, with Reno." Jack flinched inwardly, wondering if Wayne would realize the near-slip.

"Look, I can understand where you're both coming from," Wayne said, trying to appear sympathetic. "The thing is, David is in a cabinet meeting right now, I really can't disturb him." A small lie, but one of necessity, Wayne thought. Besides, it's not unreasonable to think the president of the United States might be too busy to make a phone call.

"What I can do, is try to phone David from the plane, once we're in the air," Wayne continued, in an air of compromise. "It's the best that I can do Jack, honestly."

The refusal to put the one who had asked them to come on the phone set Reno even more ill at ease, and he stared Wayne down with those eerily glowing blue green eyes. "Look, you want me to come with you, I talk to the one that sent you, understand? That is the way it is, and if you don't like it, too fucking bad. I'm not just getting on a plane with someone I don't know for reasons I haven't been told. That's all there damn well is to it." He suspected Wayne was not going to like that, but hey, too bad. "Either that, or you explain to me enough of what the Hell's going on that I had some idea of what we're doing."

He looked from Wayne, to Jack, and back, waiting to have something explained to him. He would go if there was some kind of explanation, and only then. He shook his head and met Wayne's eyes. "Look, I ain't tryin' to be rude, or an asshole. I'm really not. But I wanna know what the Hell's goin' on. I don't make it a habit to trust people right off th'bat usually. Jack an' his daughter are exceptions, 'cause he's been nothin' but decent to me since I came here, and so has she. You want me to trust you? Prove I can." The gauntlet had been thrown, whether Wayne would take the challenge or not remained to be seen.

Kim just watched this, wondering what was going to happen, if Wayne would just give them some kind of explanation or use methods that would likely not sit well with Reno or her father to get the redhead into DC. She hoped he chose the first because she had a feeling things would not turn out well if he chose the second, and unfortunately he had a tendency to choose the second if a situation that was presented to him frustrated him enough. For God's sake, Wayne, please don't do something stupid.

Jack was growing more irritated by the minute, it didn't seem that Wayne was going to budge on this. Deep down, there was something about Wayne that put Jack on edge, something bordering on mistrust.

"Wayne, come on...level with me," Jack said, staring down the man. "Don't tell me you came all the way out here on the president's orders with no idea of what's going on. If the president isn't available, fine, but you can tell me - and Reno - what's going on before we get on the plane."

The sweat began to drip down the back of Wayne's neck, dampening his shirt. He really hadn't expected Jack to be this difficult, he knew the man was stubborn, but had hoped that since he was here under the president's orders...Well, he would have to try a different tactic now.

"Jack, I'm under a presidential order to bring you and the suspect back with me," Wayne said coldly. "If you refuse to comply, it could be considered treason." Frowning at Jack and Reno, Wayne pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. "It's a go," he said simply into the phone, then disconnected the call.

"Really didn't want to have to do this, Jack," Wayne said, shaking his head. Moments later, everyone froze at the sudden sound of several cars speeding, then screeching to a sudden stop in front of Jack's house.

The car doors opened to expose Aaron Pierce and and several other Secret Service agents that walked up toward the house with sure and steady steps. "Walt, just please don't do something that would upset Jack, please. We're supposed to work with Wayne, not act on our own and make a mess of things." Aaron was capable of being rough when it was called for, but at the same time he wasn't sure it was called for. Especially not with someone who'd gotten out of the hospital a few days before. He had a strange feeling this was not going to go how he thought it might, and that wouldn't do at all.

Reno stood stock still and let Jack answer the door, because something about this set him even more extremely on edge than he already had been when Wayne had gotten there. "Hello, Jack." Aaron greeted him politely, but something about the tension in his body would likely set everyone off. "I'm afraid you will have to come with us. Under Title Four Subtitle B Section 412 of the Patriot Act, we are authorized and obligated to bring into custody anyone that might possibly be threat to the domestic security of the United States of America." He looked back at Walt, hoping he would take this as a cue not to start a riot.

"What fucking threat? I haven't done anything! The explosion wasn't my fault, Gods be damned, and I was injured when it happened. Fuck this shit, this is the kind of bullshit the Old Man would pull, and I wouldn't put up with it from him, either! Either I get a reasonable fucking explanation for what the Hell is going on, or you can get the fuck out of here!" The explosion was one that had happened because the redhead had finally reached the end of his rope with the situation at hand and couldn't deal with any more of it. "Fuck, what does someone have to do to get a straight fucking answer around here, I swear to fucking Shiva!"

Kim groaned. She knew damn well how this was going to over. Aaron was capable of being reasonable, but Walt tended to the pushy side of things and that got him and anyone in his path when he lost his temper, or pushed someone else to lose theirs, depending on who snapped first. Great, just great. I hope Dad has good homeowner's insurance because I have a feeling this is going to get messy fast.

"What he said," Jack spoke in a low, angry tone, facing Aaron. "What threat? This man has done nothing wrong, except to be in the wrong place in the wrong time. He's the sole surviving witness to an explosion, and is under my protection. Aaron, you don't want to do this, be reasonable. Yes, Reno was initially brought in as a suspect, because we didn't know who he was. I interrogated him, CTU cleared him...hell, haven't any of you read my report?"

Wayne looked thoughtfully at Jack, then Reno, then back to Jack again. He wasn't sure if he was right about this, but it couldn't hurt to bluff. "Isn't he a little more to you than that, Jack?" he said quietly, eyes steady as he stared at both of them. "You seem rather chummy with someone you've only just met. I'd daresay your personal interest in this man has compromised your objectivity on this case...I'm very surprised CTU hasn't pulled you from this case, actually. I might have to suggest that to David when we get back, that you're having trouble remaining detached, Jack."

"Oh shove it, Wayne," Jack snapped. "You have no idea what you're talking about." He caught Reno's eye and gave him a quick nod. Be ready, his gaze seemed to say. "Well, Aaron," Jack said slowly, walking over to the Secret Service agent, his voice calm now. "I guess they're not leaving me with much choice, huh? Sorry about this," he whispered, as he head-butted the man, then wrenched his arm behind his back, pinning him to the wall, pressing a knee painfully into the small of his back. "Aaron, I don't want to do this, you know that," Jack whispered to the man, who nodded silently.

"Reno, go now!" Jack shouted over his shoulder, as Walt swooped in to subdue Jack and help pull him off of Aaron. "Take Kim and get the hell out of here!"

Reno growled, and opened the door, trying to hustle her out. Fuck that shit, he was no woman that needed to be protected, he was more than capable, even recovering from injuries, of being able to fight at Jack's side, and he had every intention of doing so. Of course, this was going to make it quite clear that Reno shared Jack's feelings, but at the moment he didn't rightly care, he just wanted to make sure Jack got out too if he was determined to run. As soon as one of the agents got close enough to try to subdue Jack, he nailed him in the back of the head hard enough to knock him out, a roundhouse kick knocking another out, before a green aura surrounded him as adrenaline flooded his blood, only to fade away and be replaced by a bright gold one. . .and things were about to get interesting.

Kim ran as if the flames of Hell were chasing her after she was shoved out the door. There was no one else coming, fortunately, so she was able to get to a neighbor's and hide out until she was retrieved, she knew the drill, this was what her Dad did when things of this nature came up, he made her leave, go to a neighbor's, and then come back when the danger was over. She didn't even go back when the bright light filled the window and began to make her wonder what the Hell was going on.

Aaron didn't even have a chance to open his mouth to warn Jack when Walt pulled out a dart gun, a dart being fired to hit Jack in the back of the neck, the tranq strong enough to knock him out for several hours when it finally did take him down. "For God's sake, Walt, was that really necessary? I invoked the Patriot Act in hopes of doing this withoutphysical violence." He was cut off as a burst of electric current rang through his body, making him twitch, not even a scream coming from. The limb that had struck him in the stomach had been ringed by a powerful Bolt spell, as Reno's limit break had been awakened, which consisted of speed and agility boosts, his body being surrounded by electricity.

"Get out of our fucking house. . .the second you started this shit was the second you lost the chance for me to trust you. I'm not a case, I am a fucking person."

Jack staggered slightly as the numbing effects of the tranquilizer began to wash over him. He clutched at the dart embedded in the back of his neck and pulled it out, tossing it aside. He blinked as the ethereal light, warning of Reno's limit break began to glow; Jack felt every hair on his body stand on end as electricity filled the air, then saw Aaron sink to the ground in a boneless heap, groaning in agony. Jack growled and charged at Walt, tackling him to the ground. He was becoming tired and weak from the tranquilizer, but had just enough strength left to get the man into a sleeper hold, quickly rendering him unconscious.

"Go," Jack growled at Wayne, who was standing there open-mouthed, backing toward the door. "You should have done this the right way, Wayne. I can guarantee you that the president will not be happy about this."

"You seem to think you have special privileges because you're a friend of David Palmer's," Wayne jeered. His cocky tone belied the nervousness he felt inside. He had misjudged Jack Bauer - badly, and the man was right, David would not be happy at all about how this had gone down. "You're forgetting, Jack, you are an employee of the United States government, you're simply a CTU field agent...your friendship with my brother does not give you executive privileges."

"Don't you talk to me about David," Jack retorted. "You may be his brother, but you're not fit to wipe his shoes. One phone call could have avoided all of this, Wayne. One phone call. Now go." Muttering, Wayne fled the small house, running quickly to the presidential limo. He was already thinking of how he'd break the news to David, that not only had he returned to DC without Bauer and the witness; explaining how he'd authorized the Secret Service agents to use excessive force against them would be no easy feat either. There really was no good way to spin any of this, and Wayne was slowly beginning to realize that, as the limo sped off.

"Reno," Jack murmured, his voice slurring as unconsciousness threatened to take over. "I'm...sorry...didn't mean to dismiss you like that," he apologized. He knew the moment he'd told Reno to go, that he'd stung the redhead's pride greatly. "I just...just wanted Kim safe. Thank you..." His voice trailed off, his head lolling about as the tranquilizer took over.

"We...have to get out of here," Jack mumbled, falling to the floor. "You...need to...drive my truck, Reno. Keys...in my pocket." He reached his hand up, trying to grasp Reno's, but slipped, hitting the floor once again as he completely blacked out.

Reno carried Jack out into the truck, and opened the door, loading him into the passenger seat and strapping him in before pulling around to the other side, cursing as he realized one small hitch in Jack's escape plans. "Son of a bitch. . .the truck is a fucking manual. I shoulda known somethingwas gonna go wrong. I'm never lucky enough for something not to." He sighed, and started the truck. "Gonna have to learn on the fly, because I can't just stay around here."

The truck starting got Kim's attention, and she came out of the neighbor's, getting into the back seat. "I know a place just over the line in Canada, just go north, I'll show you. It's in British Columbia." she gestured to the highway north, the sign for I-5 hanging overhead. "Just head up there, keep going until you hit the border checkpoint. Canada doesn't check for passports, they just make sure you don't have anything illegal in the car, and then pass you through." The gears ground as Reno shifted, and he let out another curse as he tried to get accustomed to the clutch. "If I didn't think your dad was fucking attached to this thing I'd trade it in for an automatic."

He watched the passenger seat for Jack to wake, hoping he did it soon, even if just so he could get Jack to drive. The clutch was beginning to drive him out of his damn gourd, and fast, and the fact was he was worried about Jack as well. He could feel Kim's eyes on him. "What?" he asked, not exactly peevishly, but not exactly politely either. He was annoyed as Hell at the way things had gone.

"You really love my dad, don't you?" Reno didn't answer that, he didn't know how to without making himself sound like a dumbass as he kept one eye on Jack and one on the road.


End file.
